Amorphous BaO-Al2O3 encapsulation enables durable metal catalysts for ammonia decomposition
4 affiliations
- 1Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Special Aggregated Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- 2Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
- 3College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- 4Center for Rare Earth and Inorganic Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering & National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
Abstract
Confinement architectures stabilise active metal nanoparticles while preserving molecular accessibility, which proves crucial for heterogeneous catalysis. However, existing methods for preparing encapsulated catalysts such as mesoporous oxides, zeolites, and metal-organic frameworks are costly, complex, and often unreliable. Solid‑state reactions offer a promising alternative, yet conventional pathways yield thermodynamically stable phases that limit activity. Here, we propose a facile, template-free strategy that intercepts amorphous intermediates during solid‑state reactions to form encapsulation layers for active metals. We select ammonia decomposition reaction (ADR, 2NH3 → N2 + 3H2) as the target catalytic reaction, which is a pivotal route to COx‑free hydrogen and affords the high‑temperature, reducing environment that drives solid‑state transformations. During ADR conditions, commercial BaCO3 and Al2O3 act as solid‑state reactants, forming Al2O3–BaO encapsulation layers around Co or Ni nanoparticles. The layers effectively restrict nanoparticle growth. Amorphous Al2O3 facilitates NH3 adsorption, and amorphous BaO accelerates N2/H2 release and enables N–H activation. As a result, the encapsulated catalyst delivers an intrinsic rate of 1,358 mmol H2·gmetal−1·min−1 that surpasses existing non‑noble metal catalysts, alongside excellent durability during 480 h. This approach offers a blueprint for constructing durable confinement architectures in encapsulated metal catalysts.
Related
- Ligand engineering for active and durable, atomically-precise coinage-metal nanocluster catalysts
- Electrochemically Stabilized Iron Foam Enables Selective and Durable Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion at Industrial Current Densities
- The Role of BaCO3 on Ni-BaZrO3 Catalysts for Efficient NH3 Decomposition
- Structural pillar effect of Sn substitution in SrFe 1‒ x Sn x O 3‒ δ catalysts for oxidative decomposition of 1,2-dichloroethane
- Countercation Manipulation Enables Selective Electrochemical CO2‐to‐Formate Conversion Over Bi‐Polyoxometalate‐Derived Catalysts
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026amorphous,
title = {{Amorphous BaO-Al2O3 encapsulation enables durable metal catalysts for ammonia decomposition}},
author = {Yuan-Yi Zhang and Kai Xu and Wei-Wei Wang and Hao-Xin Liu and Chao Ma and Jin-Cheng Liu and Feng Ryan Wang and Chun-Jiang Jia},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78117-4},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78117-4},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Amorphous BaO-Al2O3 encapsulation enables durable metal catalysts for ammonia decomposition
AU - Yuan-Yi Zhang
AU - Kai Xu
AU - Wei-Wei Wang
AU - Hao-Xin Liu
AU - Chao Ma
AU - Jin-Cheng Liu
AU - Feng Ryan Wang
AU - Chun-Jiang Jia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78117-4
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78117-4
AB - Confinement architectures stabilise active metal nanoparticles while preserving molecular accessibility, which proves crucial for heterogeneous catalysis. However, existing methods for preparing encapsulated catalysts such as mesoporous oxides, zeolites, and metal-organic frameworks are costly, complex, and often unreliable. Solid‑state reactions offer a promising alternative, yet conventional pathways yield thermodynamically stable phases that limit activity. Here, we propose a facile, template-free strategy that intercepts amorphous intermediates during solid‑state reactions to form encapsulation layers for active metals. We select ammonia decomposition reaction (ADR, 2NH3 → N2 + 3H2) as the target catalytic reaction, which is a pivotal route to COx‑free hydrogen and affords the high‑temperature, reducing environment that drives solid‑state transformations. During ADR conditions, commercial BaCO3 and Al2O3 act as solid‑state reactants, forming Al2O3–BaO encapsulation layers around Co or Ni nanoparticles. The layers effectively restrict nanoparticle growth. Amorphous Al2O3 facilitates NH3 adsorption, and amorphous BaO accelerates N2/H2 release and enables N–H activation. As a result, the encapsulated catalyst delivers an intrinsic rate of 1,358 mmol H2·gmetal−1·min−1 that surpasses existing non‑noble metal catalysts, alongside excellent durability during 480 h. This approach offers a blueprint for constructing durable confinement architectures in encapsulated metal catalysts.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -