Iron-Ruthenium Catalysts for Ammonia Synthesis: the Relationship of Structure and Function

The interrelation of the structure and catalytic properties of hydrogen-reduced iron-ruthenium systems in the ammonia synthesis reaction is studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as conversion and absorption Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS). It is found that a sample with a metal content of 50Fe/50Ru (wt %) exhibits the maximum catalytic activity in the synthesis of ammonia. It is shown that Fe–Ru intermetallic nanoclusters with a coherent scattering region (CSR) of ~11 nm are formed in the binary system.