Insight into the Metal‐Support Interactions between Ruthenium and Nanodiamond‐derived Carbon material for CO Oxidation

Abstract

AbstractFor supported metal catalysts, metal‐support interactions (MSI) are vital for their catalytic performance, which can be regulated by controlling surface structures of supports. In this work, two kinds of nanodiamond (ND)‐derived carbon materials, i. e. ND@graphene (ND@G) and onion‐like carbon (OLC), were applied to support Ru catalyst. The characterization results show that compared with OLC supported Ru catalyst (Ru/OLC), ND@G supported Ru catalyst (Ru/ND@G) exhibits a higher Ru dispersity, large amount of nanoclusters and Ru single atoms with positive charges dispersing on the surface of ND@G, indicating a stronger MSI in Ru/ND@G. Ru/ND@G favors twin CO adsorbates, while Ru/OLC favors linear adsorbates. For CO oxidation reaction, it was found that Ru/OLC with more metallic Ru NPs exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to Ru/ND@G. Moreover, Ru/OLC showed better reusability and stability compared to Ru/ND@G during CO oxidation reaction. This work highlights the importance of having an adequate rather than an excessively strong MSI for some catalytic systems.