Keynote Address. Reforming of ethylene Glycol and ethanol for H2 production on bimetallic surfaces
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The production of hydrogen for use in fuel cells can be achieved by selective reforming of oxygenates. The oxygenates may be derived from renewable biomass and offer advantages such as low toxicity, low reactivity and compatibility with the current infrastructure for transportation and storage. Platinum has been identified as one of the most promising catalysts for the reforming of oxygenates. In this study, the reactions of oxygenates, such as ethylene glycol and ethanol, were investigated on 3d-Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), and Density Functional Theory (DFT) modeling. The experimentally measured reforming activity was correlated with the d-band center of the bimetallic surfaces from DFT modeling and displayed a linear trend for both ethylene glycol and ethanol. The reforming activity increased as the surface d-band center moved closer to the Fermi level, opposite to the trend previously observed for hydrogenation reactions. The modeling results indicate that the binding energy of ethanol should increase as the d-band center of the bimetallic surface moves closer to the Fermi level, which can be achieved by choosing 3d metals from the left side of the periodic table as the surface monolayer. The combined DFT modeling and experimental results enabled us to predict bimetallic formulations with enhanced reforming activity. Furthermore, the stability of the 3d-Pt(111) surfaces in oxygen-containing environment was also investigated to understand the possible bimetallic structures during reforming reactions.
