Efficient reverse water gas shift reaction at low temperatures over an iron supported catalyst under an electric field

Abstract The development of high-performance Fe-based catalysts is attractive because Fe is a cost-effective and earth-abundant element. Application of an external electric field and an appropriate catalytic support to an Fe-based catalyst enabled the reverse water–gas shift reaction to proceed with high activity, selectivity, and durability even at the low temperature of 423 K. The Fe-supported catalyst showed superior CO selectivity (≈ 100%) compared to the Co- or Ni-supported catalyst. The apparent activation energy (5.9 kJ mol −1 ) over the Fe/Ce 0.4 Al 0.1 Zr 0.5 O 2 catalyst under an electric field was much lower than that without an electric field (61.4 kJ mol −1 ).