The development of sustainable energy technologies, including green fuels, is of global importance. In this respect, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) has recently gained attention, as it involves the formation of fuels via the reaction of syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen), which can be derived from renewable sources. FTS often employs cobalt-based nanoparticle catalysts that are greatly affected by the state of reactants, as well as the catalyst’s shape and size. Nanoscale investigation of model cobalt catalysts can elucidate important information about the reactants, which can guide catalyst improvement and lower the cost of FTS-derived fuels. To this end, scanning tunneling microscopy was used to study the interaction of syngas with model cobalt nanoparticles on copper. It was found that hydrogen and carbon monoxide form segregated islands on the nanoparticle surfaces, and excess carbon monoxide compresses and displaces the hydrogen islands. Compression is known to affect selectivity and reactivity in a number of important industrial reactions; this nanoparticle system allows for visualization of how compression affects FTS reactants.  These results may have significant ramifications in the reaction rate of FTS on cobalt, as the segregation of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, as well as the displacement of hydrogen by carbon monoxide, limits the reaction interface.

Visualization of compression and spillover in a co-adsorbed system: Syngas on cobalt nanoparticles

251st National Meeting (2016)

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