Ru nanoparticles on Y2O3 with enhanced metal–support interactions for efficient ammonia synthesis

Abstract

Enhancing the interactions between metal nanoparticles (NPs) and their support is an effective strategy to promote the catalytic performance of supported metal catalysts in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. Here, we show that such a phenomenon can take place in Y₂O₃-supported Ru nanoparticles (NPs) (Ru/Y₂O₃) catalysts in the ammonia synthesis reaction. By enhancing the interaction between Ru NPs and the Y₂O₃ support, enhanced catalytic activity was achieved on Ru/Y₂O₃ catalyst obtained from the precipitation method, superior to the Ru/Y₂O₃ analogue with nearly identical Ru NPs from the milling method. Combined experimental studies show that Ru/Y₂O₃ with enhanced metal–support interaction facilitates the activation of reactants including N₂ and H₂. Consequently, the Ru/Y₂O₃ catalyst obtained from the precipitation method exhibited excellent activity and intrinsic activity toward ammonia synthesis, comparable with many typical benchmark Ru-based catalysts for ammonia synthesis. These findings not only reveal the promising use of Y₂O₃ for the preparation of efficient Ru-based catalysts for ammonia synthesis but also provide a facile strategy to modulate the activity of supported Ru NPs.