Unravelling the mechanism of CO2 activation over low-loaded Cu/CeO2(111) catalysts using operando and transient spectroscopies

Using operando Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as transient IR spectroscopy, low-loaded Cu/CeO2(111) catalysts were investigated with respect to their redox behavior and the importance of adsorbates for the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction. Here it is shown that of two possible mechanisms the redox mechanism is predominant over an associative one.

Automated summary

Through the use of operando Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy, as well as transient IR spectroscopy, the redox behavior and the significance of adsorbates for the reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reaction of low-loaded Cu/CeO2(111) catalysts were investigated. The results demonstrate that the redox mechanism is more predominant than the associative mechanism.