Short CommunicationHighly efficient Ru/Sm2O3-CeO2 catalyst for ammonia synthesis

A series of Ru/Sm2O3–CeO2 catalysts were prepared by using a co-precipitation (CP) method and characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, H2-TPD-MS, H2-TPR and CO chemisorption. The activity test shows that ammonia concentration of the catalyst with 7% Sm is 13.4% at 10 MPa, 10,000 h− 1, 425 °C, which is 21% higher than that of Ru/CeO2. Such high catalytic activity was due to three effects: the morphology changes of catalyst, electrodonating property of partially reduced CeO2 − x to Ru metal and the property of easily hydrogen desorption derived from the presence of Sm3+ in ceria.