Exploring the Atomic-Scale Interactions at the Interface of Reducible Oxide and Ruthenium Nanocatalyst in Ammonia Decomposition

Reconstructing interfaces at the atomic level through interactions between precious metal catalysts and highly stable oxides opens new possibilities for enhancing inherent catalytic properties. Here, we investigate the interactions between metal oxide particles and Ru nanoparticles formed through the pyrolysis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of oxide clusters with varying reducibility, accompanied by Ru precursor ions in an oxygen-suppressed, high-temperature environment. This study utilizes the ammonia decomposition reaction as a probe to examine these interactions. Despite having an ideal size of 2.3 nm for ammonia decomposition, Ru nanoparticles interacting strongly with reducible CeO2 nanoparticles exhibit relatively low conversion rates. Post-catalysis, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis reveals changes at the interface between CeO2 and Ru particles, shedding light on the correlation between the electron occupancy of Ru nanoparticles and their catalytic activity for ammonia decomposition.