Comparative (electro)catalytic, structural,
and spectroscopic studies
in hydrogen electro-oxidation, the (inverse) water-gas shift reaction,
and methane conversion on two representative mixed ionic–electronic
conducting perovskite-type materials La0.6Sr0.4FeO3−δ (LSF) and SrTi0.7Fe0.3O3−δ (STF) were performed with the
aim of eventually correlating (electro)catalytic activity and associated
structural changes and to highlight intrinsic reactivity characteristics
as a function of the reduction state. Starting from a strongly prereduced
(vacancy-rich) initial state, only (inverse) water-gas shift activity
has been observed on both materials beyond ca. 450 °C but no
catalytic methane reforming or methane decomposition reactivity up
to 600 °C. In contrast, when starting from the fully oxidized
state, total methane oxidation to CO2 was observed on both
materials. The catalytic performance of both perovskite-type oxides
is thus strongly dependent on the degree/depth of reduction, on the
associated reactivity of the remaining lattice oxygen, and on the
reduction-induced oxygen vacancies. The latter are clearly more reactive
toward water on LSF, and this higher reactivity is linked to the superior
electrocatalytic performance of LSF in hydrogen oxidation. Combined
electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman measurements in
turn also revealed altered surface and bulk structures and reactivities.