Parametric Study on Ru/CeO2 Ammonia Decomposition Catalysts for Hydrogen Production

Abstract Ru/CeO 2 is a promising catalyst for H 2 production from ammonia decomposition due to the chemical properties of cerium dioxide and its particular interaction with Ru. In this work, Ru/CeO 2 catalysts prepared by mechanochemical synthesis are studied in comparison with conventional impregnated catalysts to investigate the relevant parameters for catalytic ammonia decomposition. Different Ru precursors are used on CeO 2 supports with varying surface areas, leading to a portfolio of catalysts with different characteristics such as CeO 2 crystallite size, surface basicity, defectiveness, metal‐support interaction, reducibility, spillover effect, metal particle dispersion and dimension, and actual Ru loading. The combination of catalytic results and different characterization techniques allows for a better understanding of the importance of the different factors that affect ammonia decomposition on Ru/CeO 2 catalysts, highlighting the role of particle size and Ru─H bond strength, whose relative relevance, in turn, is dependent on Ru precursor and synthesis method.