Improving catalytic activity of MoP for CO2 reforming of methane via ZrO2 modification

Molybdenum phosphide (MoP) has attracted increasing attention as a novel catalytic material for CO₂ reforming of methane in virtue of superior coke resistance, but its catalytic reactivity is still relatively low. This work for the first time improved the reforming activity of MoP via ZrO₂ modification. The Zr_0.01MoP catalyst with Zr/Mo molar ratio of 0.01 possessed much higher activity than bare MoP at 800–900 °C. Structural characterizations revealed that the introduction of ZrO₂ would decrease the particle size, modify the electronic structure and change the reducibility property of MoP, which may function together to deliver the higher activity.