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Probing dynamic oxygen exchange for hydrogen production with operando neutron diffraction

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Daniel Telford, Dr Alex Martinez Martin, Matthew Guy, Dr Wenting HuORCiD, Professor Ian MetcalfeORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

A chemical looping process exploiting the variable oxygen content of ABO3−δ perovskite materials can achieve super-equilibrium conversions of societally important reactions such as the water–gas shift reaction (CO + H2O ⇋ CO2 + H2). The approach relies on an evolving oxygen chemical potential gradient within a reactor bed. Here we show that the oxygen-sensitivity of operando neutron powder diffraction experiments can reveal how the reactor functions with high spatial- (≲1 cm) and time- (≲30 s) resolution. We show how this operando method enables rapid testing of new high-capacity bed materials without previous knowledge of their thermodynamic properties, and gives direct information on their long-term stability. We introduce how this memory reactor concept can also be applied to the steam methane reforming reaction (CH4 + H2O ⇋ CO + 3H2), the key preprocess to the water–gas shift reaction in H2 production.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Telford DM, Martinez Martin A, Guy MD, Henry PF, Jones MO, Hu W, Metcalfe IS, Evans JSO

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature Chemical Engineering

Year: 2025

Volume: 2

Issue: 7

Pages: 447-455

Online publication date: 04/06/2025

Acceptance date: 28/04/2025

Date deposited: 04/06/2025

ISSN (electronic): 2948-1198

Publisher: Springer Nature

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-025-00231-9

DOI: 10.1038/s44286-025-00231-9

Data Access Statement: All data that support our findings are available within the text or the Supplementary Information. Neutron scattering data are available at https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2220074-1 (ref. 31). Source data are provided with this paper.


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
EP/P007767/1
EP/P024807/1EPSRC
EP/R51309X/1
EP/T517914/1
NE/W50306X/1
RB2220074
RB2010342

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