The Carburization of Transition Metal Molybdates (M_xMoO₄, M = Cu, Ni or Co) and the Generation of Highly Active Metal/Carbide Catalysts for CO₂ Hydrogenation

A new approach has been tested for the preparation of metal/Mo₂C catalysts using mixed-metal oxide molybdates as precursors. Synchrotron-based in situ time-resolved X-ray diffraction was used to study the reduction and carburization processes of Cu₃(MoO₄)₂(OH)₂, α-NiMoO₄ and CoMoO₄•nH₂O by thermal treatment under mixtures of hydrogen and methane. In all cases, the final product was β-Mo₂C and a metal phase (Cu, Ni, or Co), but the transition sequence varied with the different metals, and it could be related to the reduction potential of the Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺ cations inside each molybdate. The synthesized Cu/Mo₂C, Ni/Mo₂C and Co/Mo₂C catalysts were highly active for the hydrogenation of CO₂. The metal/Mo₂C systems exhibited large variations in the selectivity towards methanol, methane and C_nH_2n+2 (n > 2) hydrocarbons depending on the nature of the supported metal and its ability to cleave C-O bonds. Cu/Mo₂C displayed a high selectivity for CO and methanol production. Ni/Mo₂C and Co/Mo₂C were the most active catalysts for the activation and full decomposition of CO₂, showing high selectivity for the production of methane (Ni case) and C_nH_2n+2 (n > 2) hydrocarbons (Co case).