Modulation effect of support on active metals in the Fe-Ni based catalysts: Insight into the electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) effect in the CO-SCR reaction

Supported catalysts have been extensively investigated and implemented in the industry due to their cost-effectiveness and promising catalytic performance. However, due to the general inert nature of the support itself, its role in the catalyst performance is often neglected and therefore not well understood despite the consideration of the physical properties of the support. This study applies the concept of electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) to explore the impact of various supports on the active metals in Fe-Ni-based catalysts for the CO-selective catalytic reduction reaction. Through density functional theory calculations and several advanced characterizations, it can be confirmed that the EMSI effect can modify the valence states of active metals and foster interaction between different active metals, thereby influencing the reactant adsorption and catalyst performance greatly. These findings highlight the significant impact of the support on the chemical states of active metals, having far-reaching implications for designing and optimizing the supported industrial catalysts.