Structure sensitivity of Cu and CuZn catalysts relevant to industrial methanol synthesis

Roy van den Berg, Gonzalo Prieto, Gerda Korpershoek, Lars I. van der Wal, Arnoldus J. van Bunningen, Susanne Lægsgaard-Jørgensen, Petra E. de Jongh () and Krijn P. de Jong ()
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Roy van den Berg: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Gonzalo Prieto: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Gerda Korpershoek: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Lars I. van der Wal: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Arnoldus J. van Bunningen: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Susanne Lægsgaard-Jørgensen: Haldor Topsoe A/S
Petra E. de Jongh: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University
Krijn P. de Jong: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract For decades it has been debated whether the conversion of synthesis gas to methanol over copper catalysts is sensitive or insensitive to the structure of the copper surface. Here we have systematically investigated the effect of the copper particle size in the range where changes in surface structure occur, that is, below 10 nm, for catalysts with and without zinc promotor at industrially relevant conditions for methanol synthesis. Regardless of the presence or absence of a zinc promotor in the form of zinc oxide or zinc silicate, the surface-specific activity decreases significantly for copper particles smaller than 8 nm, thus revealing structure sensitivity. In view of recent theoretical studies we propose that the methanol synthesis reaction takes place at copper surface sites with a unique configuration of atoms such as step-edge sites, which smaller particles cannot accommodate.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13057

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