| Summary: | Certain alkali metals (Na, K) at targeted loadings have been shown in recent decades to significantly promote the LT-WGS reaction. This occurs at alkali doping levels where a redshift in the C-H band of formate occurs, indicating electronic weakening of the bond. The C-H bond breaking of formate is the proposed rate-limiting step of the formate associative mechanism, lending support to the occurrence of this mechanism in H<sub>2</sub>-rich environments of the LT-WGS stage of fuel processors. Continuing in this vein of research, 2%Pt/m-ZrO<sub>2</sub> was promoted with various levels of Cs in order to explore its influence on the rate of formate intermediate decomposition, as well as that of LT-WGS in a fixed bed reactor. In situ DRIFTS experiments revealed that Cs promoter loadings of 3.87% to 7.22% resulted in significant acceleration of the forward formate decomposition in steam at 130 °C. Of all of the alkali metals tested to date, the redshift in the formate ν(CH) band with the incorporation of Cs was the greatest. XANES difference experiments at the Pt L<sub>2</sub> and L<sub>3</sub> edges indicated that the electronic effect was not likely due to an enrichment of electronic density on Pt. CO<sub>2</sub> TPD experiments revealed that, unlike Na and K promoters, Cs behaves more like Rb in that the decomposition of the second intermediate in LT-WGS, carbonate species, is hindered due to (1) increased basicity of Cs, (2) the tendency of Cs to cover Pt sites that facilitate CO<sub>2</sub> decomposition, and (3) the tendency of Cs to increase Pt particle size as shown by EXAFS results, resulting in fewer Pt sites that facilitate CO<sub>2</sub> decomposition. As such, the LT-WGS rate was hindered overall and the rate-limiting step shifted to carbonate decomposition (CO<sub>2</sub> removal). Like its Rb counterpart, low levels of added Cs (e.g., 0.72%Cs) were found to improve the stability of the catalyst relative to the unpromoted catalyst; the stability comparison was made at similar CO conversion level as well as similar space velocity.
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