In situ XAFS Study of Au/Ni catalysts for Water-Gas Shift Reaction

The Water Gas Shift (WGS) reaction is a crucial industrial process for large-scale hydrogen production. Herein, we constructed a high-performance Au-NiOx/CeO2 catalyst for the WGS reaction, which exhibits significantly higher activity compared to previously reported catalysts. By utilizing time-resolved X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) techniques at ESRF’s BM23 beamline, this proposal aims to: 1) Investigate the in situ evolution of the electronic and coordination environments of the active metal (Au and Ni) on the defective CeO2 surface during the in situ WGS reaction. 2) Track the structural dynamics of Au and Ni under consecutive switching between CO and H2O. Exploring the dynamic nature of the active metals and the interaction between bimetallic components represents a groundbreaking advancement in heterogeneous catalysis. These insights will significantly contribute to the development of next-generation catalysts for C1 chemistry.