Mechanism of methanol steam reforming with inverse ZrO2/Cu catalyst.

The highly active inverse ZrO2/Cu catalyst used in methanol steam reforming reaction was confirmed by XRD and HRTEM. Control experiments and characterization results consistently differentiated surface and interfacial hydroxyl groups. For the catalyst enriched in interfacial OH, the reaction preferentially proceeded through the formate pathway. However, for the catalyst enriched in surface OH, methyl formate pathway preferentially existed on its surface. This work reveals the role of OH plays in the methanol steam reforming reaction, preliminarily establishing foundation for the investigation of H2O-participated reactions.