(366b) Well-Defined Inverse Oxide/Metal Systems As Active and Selective Heterogeneous Catalysts

Inverse oxide/metal catalysts have shown to be excellent systems for studying the role of the oxide and the oxide-metal interface in a catalytic reaction. In recent studies, it has become clear that these systems can have especial catalytic properties due to strong oxide metal interactions difficult to obtain when depositing a metal on a regular oxide support. As a consequence of these strong interactions, oxide phases which are not seen or are metastable in a bulk oxide become stable in an oxide/metal system opening the possibility for new chemical properties. Using these systems it has been possible to explore in detail correlations between the structural, electronic and catalytic properties of oxide-metal interfaces and obtain a fundamental understanding of factors which determine catalytic performance in reactions such as the water-gas shift, the hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol and the conversion of CH4 to high value chemicals. This talk will discuss the behavior of active and selective oxide/metal catalysts for these processes.