Role of an Interface for Hydrogen Production Reaction over Size-Controlled Supported Metal Catalysts

The water–gas shift reaction (WGSR) is important in industries because it can reduce the CO content of syngas to produce purified H2, which can be used as fuel or to make ammonia (NH3). Supported noble metal catalysts have been widely studied for the WGSR because they exhibit high reactivity. However, the role of a metal–support interface in the WGSR has not yet been revealed and remains elusive. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed for a model system of Co3O4-supported Pd (Pd/Co3O4) catalysts. The presence of the interface was found to promote the H2O dissociation step, which is crucial for improving WGSR activity. Thus, the WGSR activity was predicted to be enhanced by an increased number of interfaces, which could be achieved by controlling the size of the supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs). Furthermore, electronic metal–support interactions (MSIs) were found to be a source of the promoted H2O dissociation at the interface. The DFT-predicted promotion of H2O dissociation was further experimentally validated using Pd/Co3O4 catalysts that were size-controlled with calcination temperatures, and the total length of the interface was shown to have a direct correlation with the WGSR rate. Theoretical insights into the role of the interface and the enhancement of WGSR activity due to increased interface sites, which can be achieved by size control, are believed to be useful in the design of efficient supported metal catalysts for the WGSR.