Stabilized *OH species by K+-doped Pt for H2 generation with ultra-low levels of CO through aqueous-phase reforming of methanol at low temperature

Aqueous-phase reforming of methanol (APRM) represents an attractive approach for H2 storage and transportation. However, metals with high capacity of methanol activation generally exhibit poor capability for water dissociation and/or weak stabilization of *OH intermediates, leading to the unsatisfactory activity and unavoidable CO generation. Herein, we demonstrated that K+-doped Pt nanoparticles on γ-Al2O3 (PtKx/Al2O3) stabilized the *OH intermediates on Pt surface, thereby achieving efficient H2 generation with ultra-low levels of CO through APRM at 120 °C. Mechanism investigations illustrated that K+ in Pt nanoparticles shifted the d-band center to stabilize the critical *OH generated from water dissociation without interference on methanol dissociation. Consequently, the PtKx/Al2O3 catalysts delivered a TOF of 142.3 h−1 with undetectable CO by gas chromatograph equipped with FID (detection limit: 5 ppm) at 120 °C. These findings are anticipated to promote methanol as a practical H2 carrier for the delivery of hydrogen with high purity.