Catalysis Today最新文献

{"title":"Deactivation and regeneration study in the direct CO/CO2 to olefins process over In2O3-ZrO2/SAPO-34 catalysts","authors":"Ander Portillo,&nbsp;Onintze Parra,&nbsp;Arancha Saiz,&nbsp;Estefanía Villamarin-Barriga,&nbsp;Javier Ereña,&nbsp;Ainara Ateka","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The direct light olefins synthesis from CO/CO₂ hydrogenation with methanol as intermediate is an attractive alternative for the joint valorization of CO₂ and syngas derived from biomass. With this purpose, In₂O₃-ZrO₂/SAPO-34 catalysts were used in a fixed bed reactor and the evolution of the products with time on stream was studied under different operating conditions (0.5–16 h time on stream, 350–425 ℃, 20–50 bar) and feed composition (H₂/CO, H₂/CO/CO₂, H₂/CO₂). The results were quantified in yield and selectivity terms and CO₂ and CO_x conversion. It was found that deactivation occurs mainly over SAPO-34 due to the deposition of coke in the zeolite pores. Coke deposition occurred rapidly and a pseudo-steady state was obtained afterwards. Olefins yields obtained under these conditions varied greatly depending on the feed composition and the operating conditions. Temperature programmed oxidation was carried out to analyze the nature of the coke and a regeneration methodology was proposed and tested. After reaction-regeneration cycles, even if the initial activity is not obtained, the catalysts reach an steady state after the first regeneration and its activity is reproducible in consecutive reactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"465 ","pages":"Article 115638"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis of visible light-driven Bi2O3/Co-ZnO catalyst for efficient degradation of methylene blue","authors":"Muhammad Saeed ,&nbsp;Muhammad Adeel ,&nbsp;Asif Jamil ,&nbsp;Sehrish Rehmat ,&nbsp;Marcus Vinicius Castegnaro ,&nbsp;Hamza Laksaci ,&nbsp;Rageh K. Hussein","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aqueous pollution due to the release of industrial effluents containing persistent organic pollutants, such as dyes, has become a serious problem globally. A sustainable protocol for the treatment of wastewater is needed. Photocatalysis using sunlight as a source of energy is an attractive protocol for the treatment of wastewater containing persistent organic pollutants. Here, Bi₂O₃/Co-ZnO is reported as an efficient photocatalyst having a 98 % activity for the removal of 100 mg/L methylene blue within a 120-minute irradiation period. The experimental data were evaluated for kinetic analysis using the nonlinear least-squares method of analysis. The prepared Bi₂O₃/Co-ZnO exhibited nearly the same photocatalytic activity over two consecutive cycles under identical experimental conditions, confirming the good stability and reusability of the catalyst. The fabrication of a heterostructure by the combination of Bi₂O₃ with Co-ZnO synergistically enhances the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, making Bi₂O₃/Co-ZnO a promising visible-light-driven photocatalyst for environmental remediation applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"465 ","pages":"Article 115653"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145734681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic performance of Ni-La/Al2O3 for CO2 utilization via dry reforming of methane: A combined experimental and CFD investigation","authors":"Maíra Mallmann,&nbsp;Emanoelle Diz Acosta,&nbsp;André Sorato Fragnani,&nbsp;Ramon Vinícius Santos de Aquino,&nbsp;Bruno Oechsler,&nbsp;Débora de Oliveira,&nbsp;Bruno Carciofi,&nbsp;Dachamir Hotza,&nbsp;Regina Peralta Muniz Moreira","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the performance of Ni-La/Al<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> catalysts in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) using both experimental methods and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. DRM is a key process for CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> valorization to produce syngas for industrial applications. The catalysts were fabricated by 3D-printing, varying La to Ni ratio from 0.5 to 2. Their morphological, textural and chemical characteristics were thoroughly explored. The catalytic activity in DRM was assessed under kinetic regime, achieving the highest syngas yield at 1073 K with up to mmol g<span><math><msubsup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>t</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msubsup></math></span> h⁻¹ of H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> and 154 mmol g<span><math><msubsup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>t</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msubsup></math></span> h⁻¹ of CO. A CFD model was developed to explore mass transport within the tubular reactor, coupling fluid flow, species transport, and reaction kinetics. The DRM and the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction were implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics as irreversible power-law rate expressions at 973, 1073, and 1173 K. The kinetic parameters (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>k</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>, <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>E</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>a</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>) were estimated by global least-squares optimization, minimizing the deviation between simulated and experimental data. By providing kinetic and CFD insights into the tubular reactor, this study contributes to the design of more efficient processes to promote cleaner energy systems and climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"465 ","pages":"Article 115652"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis of ammonia under an electric field using lanthanum-based catalysts","authors":"Aida Younis ,&nbsp;Fiza Akbar ,&nbsp;Elodie Fourré ,&nbsp;André Grishin ,&nbsp;Catherine Batiot-Dupeyrat","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier is a fast-growing research area due to ammonia’s high weight percentage of H₂ (17.6 %) and its safer to handle features. Therefore, a higher demand for ammonia in energy applications is expected in the near future. Electric field-assisted ammonia synthesis is one way to meet the growing demand for ammonia, both for energy purposes and for industrial applications, mainly in fertilizer production. This study highlights the use of electric current for ammonia production by using NiO/La₂O₃ catalysts in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The operating conditions were maintained at a pressure of 5 bars and a current of 9 mA. The catalytic activity was analyzed in terms of ammonia concentration (ppm), synthesis rate <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>NH</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></msub></math></span>(µmol.min⁻¹.g_cat⁻¹) and energy efficiency EE (g-NH₃ [kWh.g_cat⁻¹]⁻¹). Good catalytic activity was obtained at 200 °C for the 10 wt% NiO/La₂O₃ catalyst, with<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>NH</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></msub></math></span> and EE values reaching 5.7 µmol.min⁻¹.g_cat⁻¹ and 4.5 g-NH₃ [kWh.g_cat⁻¹]⁻¹, respectively. Characterization of the catalysts by powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) revealed the formation of La(OH)₃ from La₂O₃ in the presence of electric field, and an altered reaction mechanism was observed. The temperature-dependent study showed an increase in NH₃ production at 150 °C and 200 °C with an apparent activation energy of 30 kJ.mol⁻¹.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115613"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of double metal cyanide catalysts for polyol production","authors":"Chinh Hoang Tran ,&nbsp;Won Seok Jae ,&nbsp;Ngoc Thanh Truong ,&nbsp;Nghiem Anh Tuan Le ,&nbsp;Duy Du Bui ,&nbsp;Il Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sample surface area plays a pivotal role in influencing the catalytic activity and selectivity of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalysis. In this study, DMC catalysts with well-defined crystal structures were synthesized via precipitation, complexation, and hydrothermal methods. Notably, the hydrothermally prepared catalyst synthesized in the presence of the P123 triblock copolymer (h-DMC) exhibited a higher surface area and highly uniform hexagonal plate-like morphology, as confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The P123 template played a decisive role in forming high surface area sample by directing crystal growth and promoting morphological uniformity. The catalytic activities of the DMC samples were found to be proportional to their specific surface areas. The resulting catalysts were evaluated for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of propylene oxide (PO) and ε-caprolactone, as well as the copolymerization of PO with carbon dioxide, to elucidate the structure–activity relationship. The activities of DMC catalysts are proportional to their specific surface areas. Among all samples, h-DMC demonstrated the highest catalytic efficiency, achieving a turnover frequency of up to 466 min⁻¹ for the ROP of PO. Furthermore, this catalyst enabled the production of polyether and polyester polyols with controlled hydroxyl functionality and narrow dispersity, and it produced polycarbonates with high carbonate content (up to 45 %) and yield (up to 81 %).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115620"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145413388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of preparative variables on VOx supported onto pillared and honeycomb montmorillonite for total acetone oxidation","authors":"Carolina De los Santos ,&nbsp;Hilario Vidal ,&nbsp;José Manuel Gatica ,&nbsp;María del Pilar Yeste ,&nbsp;Jorge Castiglioni","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>VOx catalysts have been widely applied in heterogeneous catalysis for decades. Their reactivity in various reactions increases when supported on a suitable solid. Montmorillonites have a great versatility to achieve improved catalytic supports, particularly pillared clays (PILCs) and honeycomb monoliths. This work aims to determine whether the type of support (powder or monolith) prepared from a clay influences the properties of VOx as active phase and which preparative variables (loading or way of incorporation) lead to a higher activity in total acetone oxidation. The catalysts were characterised by µXRF, TGA, XRD, SEM-EDS, TPR and N₂-physisorption. It was possible to prepare VOx catalysts on both powdered PILC and monolithic supports. In the case of the catalysts based on PILC, an active phase loading of 20 wt% was found to be the most favourable to achieve 90 % of total acetone oxidation at 300 ºC. For all the catalysts prepared from VOx supported on PILC, mainly V⁵⁺ was found in the active phase. In the case of the monolith-supported catalysts, the loading incorporated after two impregnation cycles was lower than 1 wt%. An acetone conversion of 90 % was achieved at 350 °C. Performing two impregnation cycles with an intermediate calcination process favoured the formation of V⁵⁺ species and their accumulation but did not improve the reactivity towards acetone oxidation. Therefore, the nature of different supports, even if they proceed from the same montmorillonite, and the preparative variables may influence the type of VOx phase formed and its catalytic activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115619"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145413386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanochemical design of Co and N incorporated carbon nano onions for efficient rhodamine B degradation","authors":"Palak Jangir ,&nbsp;Khush Vaishnav ,&nbsp;Chakshu Chaplot ,&nbsp;Gaurav Pandey ,&nbsp;Kamlendra Awasthi ,&nbsp;Ajay K. Dalai ,&nbsp;Bikashbindu Das","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing presence of chemically stable and persistent dye rhodamine B in industrial wastewater poses significant environmental and health risk, necessitating its efficient and sustainable removal. Herein, carbon nano onions (CNOs) was synthesized utilizing used cooking oil (UCO) as a carbon source by the flame pyrolysis procedure. Cobalt (Co) and nitrogen (N) were incorporated in CNOs through a facile mechanochemical approach to obtain Co and N incorporated CNOs (Co-N/CNOs) catalysts. Various Co-N/CNOs catalysts were applied for the rhodamine B degradation in aqueous solution through advanced oxidation process (AOPs). The mechanochemical approach incorporating Co and N in CNOs yielded nanostructures with surface area 99 m²g⁻¹. Structural analysis by XRD and XPS confirmed Co incorporation with multiple oxidation states (Co (0), Co (II), and Co (III)) in Co-N/CNOs. Raman analysis indicated Co doping introduced defects in adjacent carbon in CNOs, which served as active sites in activating H₂O₂ to •OH during the rhodamine B degradation reaction. The Co loading up to 11 wt% positively contributed to defects amount and hence, rhodamine B degradation efficiency. The catalyst 11Co-N/CNOs possessed highest amount of defect sites, leading to maximum rhodamine B degradation efficiency of 99.7 % under a low reaction time of 10 min and at 30 °C. The catalyst possessed promising stability up to use in four cycles at which, it could retain almost 90 % of the original activity. A kinetic analysis developed over the 11Co-N/CNOs catalyst suggested a pseudo-first-order reaction for the rhodamine B degradation process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"465 ","pages":"Article 115657"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Macroscopic structures based on La0.8Me0.2NiO3±δ (Me = Al, Ba and Ca) perovskites for renewable hydrogen production through thermochemical water splitting","authors":"Alejandro Pérez ,&nbsp;María Orfila ,&nbsp;María Linares ,&nbsp;Raúl Sanz ,&nbsp;Javier Marugán ,&nbsp;Raúl Molina ,&nbsp;Juan A. Botas","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The worrying energy and climate situations make it necessary to face a transition to a carbon-neutral economy. In this context, green hydrogen plays a crucial role in the future energy landscape. Besides other technologies, thermochemical water splitting represents a promising route for renewable hydrogen generation, using thermosolar energy as the primary energy source. In this study, different types of perovskites La_0.8Me_0.2NiO_3±δ (Me = Al, Ba and Ca) were synthesised via reactive grinding. Their redox performance was evaluated under different thermal reduction temperatures (1200–800 °C), obtaining materials with hydrogen production values ranging from 4.51 to 5.31 cm³STP/g_{active material}·cycle when the reduction was performed at 800 °C, exceeding those already reported values for similar materials at higher temperatures. In order to obtain suitable configurations for their implementation in solar reactors, powdered perovskites were shaped into macrostructures such as pellets, reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) structures and thin films deposited over ceramic monoliths. Compared to powdered materials, the macrostructures exhibited higher hydrogen production attributed to enhanced gas-solid contact and more efficient heat transfer within the structures. The best performance was obtained by La_0.8Ca_0.2NiO_3±δ supported as a thin layer over the ceramic monolithic structure, with productions up to 14.91–16.33 cm³STP/g_{active material}·cycle using thermal reduction temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C, respectively. These results confirm that shaping strategies enhance the already remarkable redox activity of perovskites and enable their integration into volumetric solar reactors. This represents a significant step forward in the development of scalable green hydrogen production systems based on renewable solar thermal energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115610"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dechlorination and upgrading of waste plastics pyrolysis oil over MWW and TUN zeolites","authors":"Alberto Pinto ,&nbsp;Lidia Amodio ,&nbsp;Martin Kubů ,&nbsp;Jennifer Cueto ,&nbsp;Pavla Eliášová ,&nbsp;Patricia Pizarro ,&nbsp;Jiří Čejka ,&nbsp;David P. Serrano","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyrolysis is a promising technique for converting waste plastics into oil, but the resulting liquid often contains halogens, particularly chlorine, which pose environmental and corrosion risks when used as fuel or refinery feedstock. These halogens primarily originate from materials such as PVC and other Cl-containing compounds present in the waste. This study evaluates the performance of several zeolites (TNU-9, MCM-22, MCM-49, MCM-56, and MCM-36) in the catalytic dehalogenation and upgrading of a real pyrolysis oil derived from waste plastics with a chlorine content of 290 ppm. Experiments were conducted using a fixed-bed catalytic reactor at 450 °C. All the tested catalysts improved the oil properties, decreasing its paraffin content and favouring the formation of aromatic, cyclic and olefinic hydrocarbons. This is positive regarding the possible use of this oil fraction in the formulation of transportation fuels or as a source of raw chemicals. The deepest modification was observed over MCM-36 zeolite, achieving the highest cracking activity into light olefins (mainly C3 and C4). Its superior performance is attributed to its high external surface area, mesopore volume, and accessible Brønsted acid sites, resulting from its pillarized structure. Moreover, MCM-36 was also the zeolite exhibiting the best oil dechlorination capability, which remained relatively stable along the time on stream in contrast to other zeolite catalysts. Analyses of the spent catalysts indicated that the deposited carbonaceous matter accumulates most of the Cl-containing species removed from the oil; hence, the overall oil upgrading process can be considered a combination of catalytic and adsorption effects. This material could be effectively regenerated by a sequential combination of Soxhlet extraction and calcination treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115594"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of highly active Co/Mo2C catalysts for green H2 production from NH3","authors":"M. Pinzón ,&nbsp;C. Martín ,&nbsp;A. Romero ,&nbsp;A. de Lucas-Consuegra ,&nbsp;A.R. de la Osa ,&nbsp;P. Sánchez","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of cost-effective catalysts with excellent catalytic performance is of great interest for ammonia cracking. In this work, an innovative and stable cobalt catalyst supported on a commercial molybdenum carbide material was prepared. The influence of pre-activation treatment on the catalytic activity of a 5Co/Mo₂C catalyst for ammonia decomposition was investigated using H₂/Ar and NH₃/Ar at 400 °C. Both activations resulted in a high ammonia conversion (∼ 90 %) at 500 °C. XPS analysis revealed that H₂ pre-activation resulted in greater surface Co/Mo ratio and enhanced charge transfer, contributing to increase active cobalt and hence better catalytic activity. The effect of cobalt loading (2.5–10 wt%) was further optimized, with 7.5Co/Mo₂C achieving the highest conversion (93.7 % at 450 °C), attributed to optimal Co dispersion and crystallite size (∼16.8 nm). The addition of a secondary metal (K, Cs or La) to the 7.5Co/Mo₂C catalyst showed that lanthanum significantly improved the catalytic activity by increasing the basicity, cobalt dispersion, and surface Co/Mo ratio. In contrast, K and Cs had a negative effect, causing agglomeration and reduction of active sites by blocking. These findings indicate that H₂ pre-activation and La promotion were key factors for enhancing ammonia decomposition efficiency on Co/Mo₂C catalyst.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115615"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}