Zirconia-supported bimetallic RhPt catalysts: Characterization and testing in autothermal reforming of simulated gasoline

The behavior of ZrO2-supported RhPt catalysts was studied in the autothermal reforming of simulated gasoline to produce fuel gas (H2, CO, CO2, CH4, and H2O) suitable for solid oxide fuel cell applications.The bimetallic catalysts were superior to the monometallic Rh and Pt catalysts, and only a small addition of Rh increased the activity of the Pt catalyst markedly. Moreover, the reforming selectivity and the stability of bimetallic RhPt catalysts against carbon deposition improved with increasing Rh/Pt molar ratio.Strong synergism between Rh and Pt was observed, leading to excellent catalytic performance. Based on TPR-, SEM-, and EDX-results a Rh-Pt-O ternary system with RhxPt1−x–Rh2O3 equilibrium is suggested for the bimetallic catalysts, where Rh2O3 is the active site.