Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts are used in industry for methanol synthesis and the water–gas shift reaction, but some of their structural features under operation remain elusive. Now operando transmission electron microscopy reveals the dynamic nature of ZnOx overlayers upon temperature cycling and proposes a reaction mechanism that is build on the reversible interconversion of Cu–ZnO surface and CuZn surface alloys on copper, which is considered to be mediated by the reaction conditions.
- Maxime Boniface
- Thomas Götsch
- Thomas Lunkenbein