The water gas shift reaction converts carbon monoxide and steam (CO and H2O) to carbon dioxide and hydrogen (CO2 and H2). In combination with CO2 capture, it is an important component in the production of “blue” hydrogen. One route to simultaneous H2 production and H2/CO2 separation is to use a catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). Ferrochrome catalysts are prominent commercial HT-WGS catalysts, however these traditional catalysts suffer from CO2 inhibition which negatively affects catalyst activity in WGS reaction under CO2-rich conditions, potentially making them less effective in membrane reactors. To address this gap, we designed and prepared novel multicomponent high performing and ultrastable CO2-tolerant nano-catalysts using a unique flame-based aerosol process for catalyst synthesis. Our goal was to find a set of promoters that together exhibit synergistic effects thus weakening CO2 adsorption to reduce inhibition without affecting activity. Our unique process for producing high-entropy metal oxides (HEMO) opens up a vast composition space for producing these catalysts with multiple promotors. We conducted kinetic studies on these HEMO catalysts to quantify CO2 and H2O inhibition, along with activation energies. This study allowed us to synthesize catalysts that enable higher CO conversion, higher H2 production, and high resistance to CO2 inhibition and coking.
