Stable Rh particles in hydrotalcite-derived catalysts coated on FeCrAlloy foams by electrosynthesis

• Rh catalysts on FeCrAl foams were prepared by electrosynthesis of hydrotalcites.
• Tailoring the Rh content and total metal concentration gave stable Rh particles.
• A bimetallic Rh/Ni catalyst was very active but slowly deactivated.

Rh-based structured catalysts for the Catalytic Partial Oxidation of CH4 to syngas were prepared by electrosynthesis of Rh/Mg/Al hydrotalcite-type compounds on FeCrAlloy foams and calcination. The effects of Rh content, total metal concentration, and partial replacement of Mg2+ by Ni2+ in the electrolytic solution on coating thickness, Rh speciation, metallic particle size, and catalytic activity were investigated by SEM/EDS, μ-XRF/XANES and tests under diluted and concentrated reaction conditions.The amount of Rh species, present as Mg (RhxAl1−x)2O4, depended on the thickness of the electrosynthesised layer as well as the Rh particle size and dispersion. Smaller and more dispersed particles were obtained by decreasing the Rh concentration in the electrolytic solution from Rh/Mg/Al = 11/70/19 to 5/70/25 and 2/70/28 atomic ratio% (a.r.%) and in thinner rather than thicker layers. Despite the improvement in metallic particles features, the CH4 conversion was negatively affected by the low amount of active sites in the coating, the high metal support interaction and possibly the oxidation of metallic particles and carbon formation.A larger amount of solid containing well dispersed Rh particles was deposited by increasing the total metal concentration from 0.03 M to 0.06 M with the Rh/Mg/Al = 5/70/25 a.r.%, and the catalytic performances were enhanced. The partial replacement of Mg2+ by Ni2+ gave rise to a very active bimetallic Rh/Ni catalyst, CH4 conversion and selectivity to syngas were above 90%, however, it slightly deactivated with time-on-stream.

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