biostudies-literatureUnknown15(11)Rong QIn this study, we found that β-Mo₂C prepared at different carbonization temperatures exhibited significantly different catalytic activities for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The β-Mo₂C synthesized at 600 °C demonstrated notably higher activity compared to those prepared at 700 °C and 800 °C. This enhanced activity was likely attributed to its improved redox properties, which were primarily driven by a smaller crystallite size and the presence of Mo _<i>x</i> OC _<i>y</i> species. Therefore, we proposed that the crystallite size and Mo _<i>x</i> OC _<i>y</i> content were the key factors governing the RWGS activity of β-Mo₂C. Clearly, both factors were strongly influenced by the carbonization temperature.RSC advances8346-8353https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11915210biostudies-literatureInsight into the key factors of β-Mo&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;C catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction.PMC11915210Ding WYao ZZhang ZFu XRong QLiu GShi YfalseInsight into the key factors of β-Mo&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;C catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction.In this study, we found that β-Mo₂C prepared at different carbonization temperatures exhibited significantly different catalytic activities for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The β-Mo₂C synthesized at 600 °C demonstrated notably higher activity compared to those prepared at 700 °C and 800 °C. This enhanced activity was likely attributed to its improved redox properties, which were primarily driven by a smaller crystallite size and the presence of Mo _<i>x</i> OC _<i>y</i> species. Therefore, we proposed that the crystallite size and Mo _<i>x</i> OC _<i>y</i> content were the key factors governing the RWGS activity of β-Mo₂C. Clearly, both factors were strongly influenced by the carbonization temperature.2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Mar2025-04-03T23:26:24.766Z2025-04-03T23:26:24.766ZS-EPMC119152104010398610.1039/d4ra08875a