Synergistic Ni-Ru Catalysts Supported on Gd-Doped CeO₂ for Enhanced Hydrogen Production and Coke-Resistant Ethanol Partial Oxidation

Author(s):

Gene Yang, Jiangtian Li, and Deryn Chu

Abstract:

Hydrogen production via catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) of ethanol is a promising approach for compact, on-demand hydrogen generation systems. Nickel (Ni)-based catalysts are widely used due to their cost-effectiveness and high activity; however, their durability is limited by coke formation and deactivation. This study investigates the role of oxygen-vacancy-rich Gd-doped ceria (GDC) as a functional support and its combined interaction with ruthenium (Ru) in Ni-based catalysts. The optimized Ni/Ru(9:1)-GDC catalyst exhibited high hydrogen yield, suppressed methane and light hydrocarbon formation, and sustained long-term stability, which was attributed to the cooperative interaction among Ni, Ru, and the oxygen-vacancy-rich GDC support. In this system, Ni provided active sites for ethanol reforming, Ru facilitated hydrogen spillover and promoted water-assisted redox processes, and the GDC support supplied mobile lattice oxygen that enabled continuous carbon removal and redox cycling. These results demonstrated the importance of tuning metal-support interactions and exploiting redox-active oxide supports in the design of durable and efficient CPOX catalysts, providing practical design insights for distributed hydrogen generation applications.