Novel phosphorus-doped molybdenum carbide catalyst for the reverse water-gas shift reaction

The effect of phosphorus on the catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide for the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction was studied for the first time. It was found that the catalytic activity and selectivity of the P-doped molybdenum carbide catalysts were greatly related to their P/Mo molar ratios within a narrow range (0–0.1). It was obvious that increasing P/Mo molar ratio led to a decreased activity, but can effectively enhance selectivity. The P-doped molybdenum carbide with a P/Mo molar ratio of 0.05 was proposed to be more excellent than other P-doped molybdenum carbides in terms of both activity and selectivity, which was attributed to its higher oxophilicity and weaker affinity toward CO.