Active nitrogen mediated selective ruthenium migration on ceria for high pressure ammonia decomposition.

Abstract

Precise stabilization of atomic structures under reaction environments remains a central challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we demonstrate that ammonia (NH₃) serves as a chemically active nitrogen source to derive the selective migration of ruthenium (Ru) atoms onto ceria (CeO₂) domains, forming a durable atomically dispersed structure. During ammonia decomposition, nitrogen-containing intermediates promote atomic redistribution of Ru and anchor the atoms selectively at CeO₂, yielding stable Ru-ceria interfaces. The resulting catalyst exhibits high activity in high-pressure ammonia decomposition for hydrogen production, attributed to its lowered activation energy and mitigated hydrogen poisoning. Furthermore, both the catalytic performance and the atomic Ru structure are preserved during long-term high-pressure operation, confirming the exceptional structural stability of the designed configuration. This study establishes active-nitrogen-driven migration as an effective strategy for constructing robust and reaction-friendly catalyst surface.