Stabilized inverse Y2O3/Cu interfaces boost the performance of the reverse water–gas shift reaction†

The reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction has tremendous practical significance for solving energy shortage problems. However, its harsh reaction conditions inevitably lead to the sintering of an active metal, which results in the loss of interface sites. Therefore, the construction of efficient and stable catalysts with uniform interfaces for the RWGS reaction is a persisting challenge. In this work, sintered Cu species were applied to fabricate an inverse Y₂O₃/Cu catalyst with a notable RWGS reaction performance. This inverse Y₂O₃/Cu catalyst sustained a high CO₂ conversion (45.6%) for up to 100 h at 600 °C (GHSV = 400 000 mL g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹), exceeding the CO₂ conversion of a conventional Cu/Y₂O₃ catalyst (24.4% for up to 40 h). The CO₂ and H₂ adsorption and activation ability of the inverse Y₂O₃/Cu catalyst were greatly optimized, which strikingly accelerated the catalytic reaction. Y₂O₃/CuO_x/Cu interfaces constructed using the sintered Cu species promoted the metal–support interaction of the inverse Y₂O₃/Cu catalyst to achieve excellent catalytic stability. This strategy of using sintering Cu species to construct a stable interface provides new insights into the study of efficient and stable catalytic materials in the RWGS reaction.