Single‐Phase Formation of Rh2O3 Nanoparticles on h‐BN Support for Highly Controlled Methane Partial Oxidation to Syngas

Abstract

AbstractSingle‐phase formation of active metal oxides on supports has been vigorously pursued in many catalytic applications to suppress undesired reactions and to determine direct structure‐property relationships. However, this is difficult to achieve in nanoscale range because the effect of non‐uniform metal‐support interfaces becomes dominant in the overall catalyst growth, leading to the nucleation of various metastable oxides. Herein, we develop a supported single‐phase corundum‐Rh2O3(I) nanocatalyst by utilizing controlled interaction between metal oxide and h‐BN support. Atomic‐resolution electron microscopy and first‐principle calculation reveal that single‐phase formation occurs via uniform and preferential attachment of Rh2O3(I) (110) seed planes on well‐defined h‐BN surface after decomposition of rhodium precursor. By utilizing the Rh/h‐BN catalyst in methane partial oxidation, syngas is successfully produced solely following the direct route with keeping a H2/CO ratio of 2, which makes it ideal for most downstream chemical processes.