Low temperature water–gas shift: in situ DRIFTS-reaction study of ceria surface area on the evolution of formates on Pt/CeO2 fuel processing catalysts for fuel cell applications

Abstract Steady state infrared (IR) measurements for adsorption of only CO and under water–gas shift (WGS) reaction conditions indicate that formates are present on the surface of reduced ceria, and that their concentrations vary with surface area of partially reduced ceria. Under steady state WGS, the concentrations of surface formates are strongly limited at high CO conversions. However, at low temperatures and conversions, the formates are close to the equilibrium adsorption/desorption coverages obtained from only CO adsorption. Comparisons at constant temperature indicate that formate bands from IR may provide an indication of the number of active sites present on the catalyst surface, as the rates varied accordingly. The IR results favor a formate intermediate mechanism to explain WGS. However, more kinetic studies are required, and over a broad range of temperatures, to verify this conclusion. Previous low temperature kinetic studies at a relatively high CO/H2O ratios have produced a zero-order dependency for CO and the authors related this to a mechanistic scheme involving reaction of Pt-CO with CeO2 to yield CO2, followed by reoxidation of Ce2O3 by H2O, with liberation of H2. The zero-order was suggested to be due to saturation of noble metal surface with CO during WGS. Saturation of ceria with carbonates was also reported. In this study, a high H2O/CO ratio was used where the CO rate dependency was first-order. This criteria requires that the surface coverage of the adsorbed CO intermediate should be reaction rate limited. Therefore, the formates are suggested to be the intermediates.