Toward More Cost-Effective Hydrogen Production: Magnetron-Sputtered Ni- and Co-Based CeO2 Catalysts at Ultralow Metal Loading
7 affiliations
- 1Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) , , , ,
- 2UFRJ , , , ,
- 3COPPE, UFRJ , , , ,
- 4TECNOPUC , , , ,
- 5Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) , , ,
- 6University of Campinas , , , ,
- 7Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials , , , ,
Abstract
A series of mono- and bimetallic Ni- and Co-based catalysts supported on nanocrystalline cerium oxide (CeO2) was prepared by magnetron sputtering with a total metal loading of only 0.2 wt % to investigate the influence of the deposition sequence on the ethanol steam reforming (ESR) reaction. Structural analyses by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy-Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) confirmed that the sputtering process produced highly dispersed metallic species without detectable crystalline domains, while maintaining the mesoporous structure of the CeO2 support. Among the catalysts, Ni–Co/CeO2, obtained by sequential deposition of Co followed by Ni, exhibited the lowest deactivation rate constant (kd = 9.93 × 10–3 h–1), highest stability, and H2 selectivity sustained over 28 h of reaction. Postreaction characterization by EDS mapping, Thermogravimetric Analysis-Derivative Thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG), and Raman spectroscopy revealed minimal coke deposition on Ni–Co/CeO2, whereas the Co–Ni and NiCo counterparts suffered from higher carbon accumulation and faster deactivation. These results demonstrate that the metal deposition order critically governs the catalytic performance and that magnetron sputtering enables precise surface control even at ultralow metal loadings, producing catalysts with remarkable activity, stability, and coke resistance. Thus, herein, we highlight that magnetron sputtering is a promising route for designing efficient and economically viable reforming catalysts, which opens perspectives for exploring electronic and interfacial effects at higher metal loadings.
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BibTeX
@article{sosa2026toward,
title = {{Toward More Cost-Effective Hydrogen Production: Magnetron-Sputtered Ni- and Co-Based CeO2 Catalysts at Ultralow Metal Loading}},
author = {Leticia Forrer Sosa and Marco Aurélio Suller Garcia and Adriano Friedrich Feil and Dario Eberhardt and Santiago José Alejandro Figueroa and Carlos Alberto Ospina Ramirez and Angela Albuquerque and João Monnerat Araújo Ribeiro de Almeida and Pedro Nothaft Romano},
journal = {ACS Omega},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c06081},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/11/42/64956/5451583/Toward-More-Cost-Effective-Hydrogen-Production},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Toward More Cost-Effective Hydrogen Production: Magnetron-Sputtered Ni- and Co-Based CeO2 Catalysts at Ultralow Metal Loading
AU - Leticia Forrer Sosa
AU - Marco Aurélio Suller Garcia
AU - Adriano Friedrich Feil
AU - Dario Eberhardt
AU - Santiago José Alejandro Figueroa
AU - Carlos Alberto Ospina Ramirez
AU - Angela Albuquerque
AU - João Monnerat Araújo Ribeiro de Almeida
AU - Pedro Nothaft Romano
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - ACS Omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c06081
UR - https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/11/42/64956/5451583/Toward-More-Cost-Effective-Hydrogen-Production
AB - A series of mono- and bimetallic Ni- and Co-based catalysts supported on nanocrystalline cerium oxide (CeO2) was prepared by magnetron sputtering with a total metal loading of only 0.2 wt % to investigate the influence of the deposition sequence on the ethanol steam reforming (ESR) reaction. Structural analyses by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy-Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) confirmed that the sputtering process produced highly dispersed metallic species without detectable crystalline domains, while maintaining the mesoporous structure of the CeO2 support. Among the catalysts, Ni–Co/CeO2, obtained by sequential deposition of Co followed by Ni, exhibited the lowest deactivation rate constant (kd = 9.93 × 10–3 h–1), highest stability, and H2 selectivity sustained over 28 h of reaction. Postreaction characterization by EDS mapping, Thermogravimetric Analysis-Derivative Thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG), and Raman spectroscopy revealed minimal coke deposition on Ni–Co/CeO2, whereas the Co–Ni and NiCo counterparts suffered from higher carbon accumulation and faster deactivation. These results demonstrate that the metal deposition order critically governs the catalytic performance and that magnetron sputtering enables precise surface control even at ultralow metal loadings, producing catalysts with remarkable activity, stability, and coke resistance. Thus, herein, we highlight that magnetron sputtering is a promising route for designing efficient and economically viable reforming catalysts, which opens perspectives for exploring electronic and interfacial effects at higher metal loadings.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -