Highly Efficient Production of H2 through Methanol Reforming

Production of hydrogen (H2) is an important task for clean energy. We designed a novel catalyst for efficient H2 production through methanol-water reforming. By tuning of the amount of Pt metal species and reducible Re oxide on the surface of reactive γ-Mo2N support, we have shifted the reaction from a competitive adsorption/activation model in typical supported metal catalysts to a non-competitive mechanism, synergistically resulting in enhanced catalytic turnover rates. We request 5 days on MAPS to study the binding dynamics of methanol, water and intermediates over the exceptional catalyst (2Pt-2Re/γ-Mo2N). The proposed study will investigate the vibrational spectroscopy of the catalyst, adsorption of methanol and H2O molecules and any possible reaction intermediates on active sites. This study aims to reveal the role of Pt and ReOx sites in adsorption and activation of reactant molecules, giving key insights into the efficient H2 production.