Integrated CO₂ capture and reduction (CCR) using dual-function materials (DFMs) has emerged as a promising strategy for effective utilization of CO₂. A thorough understanding of the reaction mechanisms of CCR using the DFMs is important for enhancing their performances. In this study, Na/Al₂O₃ and Na/Cu/Al₂O₃ were compared to investigate the role of Na-based DFMs, particularly transition-metal-free DFMs, in facilitating CCR to CO. Fixed-bed experiments comprising of CO₂ capture and reduction phase were performed to examine their performances at various temperatures. The two DFMs exhibited similar behaviors during the CO₂ capture phase. In the subsequent reduction phase, the DFMs produced nearly equal amounts of CO, reaching 0.21 mmol/g, at temperatures exceeding 450 °C. By increasing the temperature to 500 °C, the CO production rates reached an identical level of 0.18 mmol/(min·g). Time-resolved in-situ spectroscopy confirmed the formation of carbonate species during the capture phase. Carbonates were further reduced to CO directly or via intermediate formate species in the reduction phase. The formation of formates was predominant on Na/Cu/Al₂O₃ at temperatures below 400 °C. However, at higher temperatures, the direct reductive decomposition of carbonates to form CO became the dominant pathway for both the DFMs. Elucidation of a more detailed mechanism of the direct reductive decomposition pathway is critical, particularly the role of Na sites during the reduction phase.

Simple metal oxides exhibit noticeable catalytic activity in methane conversion reactions. However, their catalytic role in the selective activation of CH4 to more valuable products (CO, H2, olefins) is often masked by the highly oxidative reaction conditions and by complex catalyst formulations. Transient studies of the direct interaction of CH4 with simple catalytic systems, including rare-earth (La2O3, Nd2O3, Y2O3), alkali-earth (MgO) and reducible (TiO2), reveal peculiar selectivity for different monometallic oxides. Rare-earth metal oxides show high initial activity towards partial oxidation products (CO, H2), while MgO possesses unique selectivity towards coupling products (C2H6 and C2H4) with remarkable activity in dehydrogenation reactions. A continuous supply of lattice oxygen species for the selective oxidation of CH4 to CO is provided by TiO2, which can effectively prevent accumulation of C deposits. The results indicate the roles played by the metal oxide materials and provide a basis for rational design of catalysts and reaction conditions for the selective conversion of CH4.

Methanol is a valuable chemical energy carrier and C1 feedstock, with significant research efforts directed toward its production via CO2 hydrogenation. Here, we report a surfactant-free, non-aqueous synthesis of Cu–ZnO core–shell catalysts (Cu2O core and ZnO shell), featuring uniform morphology and high performance. This enables a better understanding of the Cu–ZnO synergy, providing insights into the formation of highly active and selective sites as well as catalyst stability. The optimal core–shell catalyst achieved 53% CO2 conversion and 84% methanol selectivity. Comprehensive characterization, including operando X-ray diffraction at 184–331 bar reactant pressure, was performed on both the core–shell material and a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst, before and after the reaction. The results revealed that the highly active state of the catalyst promotes the carbonation of ZnO, leading to the formation of ZnCO3 during the reaction. This is likely driven by the acidic reaction medium formed from the dissolution of CO2 in water under high conversion conditions. While ZnCO3 formation may contribute to catalyst deactivation, it could also offer a rigid structure that supports highly active and selective, dispersed Cu–Zn interactions.

Utilising unexploited methane through its reaction with CO2 via the dry reforming of methane (DRM) has attracted attention. However, there are challenges related to catalyst deactivation and energy consumption due to the highly endothermic nature of the DRM; thus, microwave activation has been proposed to increase energy efficiency by directly heating the catalyst while minimising the heating of the reactor. In this study, we clarify the advantages of microwave heating in terms of more reactive coke formation during the reaction and enhanced reactivity under microwave conditions compared with conventional resistive heating. For the latter, steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis (SSITKA) was conducted to gain mechanistic insights, which suggested that microwave heating accelerated CO generation steps. This study shows that microwave activation can be advantageous in terms of reaction kinetics for the DRM.

Green hydrogen plays a crucial role in decarbonization and the future of low-carbon society. Still, its transport/distribution and cost of production, mainly realized by electrolysis, are major hurdles. Liquid H₂ carriers reduce transport/distribution costs but add further expenses for their production. To address this challenge, we proposed a novel strategy for electrocatalytic production of a liquid organic hydrogen carrier with anodic valorization of the process. This review summarizes the state of the art and outlooks in this new concept. The electrocatalytic process is briefly introduced, and the main components are discussed. Subsequently, the electrocatalytic production of liquid organic hydrogen carriers and anodic oxidation from components to processes, together with the paired processes and reactors, are analyzed, highlighting challenges and prospects.

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) was investigated using nanostructured core@shell materials, thermally activated with two different heating methods, namely conventional resistive heating and microwave. The core@shell catalysts were composed of β-SiC nanoparticles, with a mean particle size below 100 nm, coated by a uniform SiO2 shell of ca. 30 nm thickness. Highly dispersed Rh nanoparticles, with a mean particle size of 2.5 nm, were present on the surface of the SiO2 shell. Operation under microwave heating conditions enhanced the reverse water gas shift reaction activity, which takes place in parallel with the DRM process, as compared to the operation under resistive heating conditions. Moreover, stable long-term operation was achieved under microwaved-assisted conditions, due to the unique spatial arrangement of the phases composing the nanostructured catalytic system, together with the suppression of irreversible coke deposition.

Single-atom catalysts, which consist of isolated metal sites immobilized on the support, have attracted significant attention in heterogeneous catalysis due to their high catalytic performance. The so-called strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA), in which a metal precursor is deposited onto an oxide support by electrostatic attraction, is widely employed to obtain single-atom catalysts in wet synthesis. In this work, we investigated the adsorption behavior of Re precursor, perrhenate, on anatase titania as an example of SEA studied by in situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The study confirms that the adsorption of perrhenate on titania is enhanced at a lower pH, which is consistent with a SEA model, and that the adsorption and desorption processes are reversible at pH 3.0. The ATR-IR spectroscopic kinetic analysis of the adsorption processes of perrhenate in nitric acid, assuming the Langmuir adsorption model, reveals that the kinetics of the perrhenate adsorption onto titania is influenced by the ionic strength. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism of perrhenate changes depending on pH between 3.0 and 5.0. This study demonstrates that in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the real-time monitoring and the kinetic study of SEA processes to design atomically engineered catalytic active sites.

To mitigate global warming and achieve a sustainable society, innovative technologies for efficient CO2 utilization are required. Integrated CO2 capture and reduction (CCR) using dual-function materials (DFMs) is favorable owing to its potentially low energy consumption, capital investment, and processing costs. Although numerous studies have focused on catalytic science, continuous and steady-state CCR operations have not been sufficiently addressed from an engineering perspective. In this study, a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) system is investigated for continuous CCR to syngas (CO + H2). In the CFB system, transition-metal-free DFM (Na/Al2O3) particles are circulated between two bubbling fluidized-bed reactors. The DFM captures CO2 in one reactor (CO2 capture reactor) and reduces the captured CO2 to CO by the reaction with H2 in the other reactor (H2 reactor). The effluent gas concentrations from both reactors reach steady state and are maintained for over 8 h. For the product gas from the H2 reactor, the CO2 conversion and CO selectivity exceed 80 % and 99 %, respectively. However, the H2 conversion is <20 %, indicating a potential challenge for the CFB system for integrated CCR. Furthermore, this study confirms that the H2/CO ratio for syngas can be controlled by adjusting the experimental conditions (particularly, the H2 flow rate). Consequently, the CFB system can be modified to facilitate the interaction between H2 gas and the DFM particles.

In Fig. 4(e) on page 6733 of this article, the legends in the graph for faradaic efficiency of CO and C2+ were misplaced. The original figure should be replaced with an updated one. Note that this correction does not have any impact on the main idea and conclusion of this article. The updated Fig. 4 is as follows. The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers. (Figure presented).

Multiphasic reaction of bicarbonate hydrogenation to form formate using homogeneous Ru PNP pincer catalyst in a continuous flow tubular reactor is reported. The reaction system consists of three phases. Catalyst is dissolved in toluene while potassium bicarbonate is dissolved in water. The significance of efficient mixing among the organic phase, aqueous phase and gaseous hydrogen to improve hydrogenation reaction by using different inert packing materials is studied by operando visualization and also quantitatively discussed. The bicarbonate conversion of up to 67% is achieved after optimization of important reaction and reactor parameters. The designed reactor setup comprised of effective recycling system that recycles the catalyst with >99% activity.

Carbon dioxide capture and reduction (CCR) process emerges as an efficient catalytic strategy for CO₂ capture and conversion to valuable chemicals. K-promoted Cu/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited promising CO₂ capture efficiency and highly selective conversion to syngas (CO + H₂). The dynamic nature of the Cu-K system at reaction conditions complicates the identification of the catalytically active phase and surface sites. The present work aims at more precise understanding of the roles of the potassium and copper and the contribution of the metal oxide support. While γ-Al₂O₃ guarantees high dispersion and destabilisation of the potassium phase, potassium and copper act synergistically to remove CO₂ from diluted streams and promote fast regeneration of the active phase for CO₂ capture releasing CO while passing H₂. A temperature of 350℃ is found necessary to activate H₂ dissociation and generate the active sites for CO₂ capture. The effects of synthesis parameters on the CCR activity are also described by combination of ex-situ characterisation of the materials and catalytic testing.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) electrolysis on copper (Cu) catalysts has attracted interest due to its direct production of C2+ feedstocks. Using the knowledge that CO2 reduction on copper is primarily a tandem reaction of CO2 to CO and CO to C2+ products, we show that modulating CO concentrations within the liquid catalyst layer allows for a C2+ selectivity of >80% at 200 mA cm−2 under broad conversion conditions. The importance of CO pooling is demonstrated through residence time distribution curves, varying flow fields (serpentine/parallel/interdigitated), and flow rates. While serpentine flow fields require high conversions to limit CO selectivity and maximize C2+ selectivity, the longer CO residence times of parallel flow fields achieve similar selectivity over broad flow rates. Critically, we show that parts of the catalyst area predominantly reduce CO instead of CO2 as supported by CO reduction experiments, transport modelling, and achieving a CO2 utilization efficiency greater than the theoretical limit of 25% for C2+ products.

Operando methodologies are widely used in heterogenous catalysis to understand unique state of catalyst materials emerging under specific reaction conditions and to establish catalyst structure-activity relationships. Recent studies highlight the importance of combining multiple operando techniques (multimodal approach) to gain complementary information as well as looking into chemical and material gradients and spatial variations on the reactor scale. In this work, we developed an operando UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) setup compatible with a common fixed-bed tubular reactor. The design is based on optical calculations, validation experiments and signals considerations. A spatial resolution of 1 mm along the axial direction of the reactor was successfully demonstrated and combined with a time resolution of seconds with good signal to noise. CO oxidation over Pt/Al₂O₃ was performed as a proof of principle experiment demonstrating the capabilities of the new setup. The information gained by the space-resolved operando UV–vis DRS was combined with other space-resolved operando studies such as diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), gas sampling and temperature profiling. The study shows that the nature of active sites (Pt redox state) and thus the reaction mechanism alter with reaction temperature and also in space. Spatiotemporal UV–vis DRS is also demonstrated, showing the capability for transient studies with space-resolution.

When no hydrogen can reach the Pt catalyst in the anode for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) of an operating proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the anode potential increases and causes the cell potential to be reversed compared to normal operation conditions. During this reversal, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and carbon oxidation reaction (COR) will occur at the anode, where the COR has devastating consequences for the electrode. Introducing an OER catalyst limits the COR to occur, which makes a reversal tolerant anode (RTA). In this research, RTAs are differentiated by applying different ball milling times during catalyst layer processing, forming big and small OER (IrO_x/TiO_x) and HOR (Pt/C) catalyst particles. The two different particle sizes were electrochemically tested using a rotating disc electrode (RDE). Both catalyst sizes show a decrease in OER activity (mA cm⁻²) accompanied by loss of the ionomer in a self-developed accelerated stress test (AST). The small particle RTAs show higher OER activity as a result of increased surface area. However, during a chronopotentiometry measurement, which mimics a fuel cell reversal, the small particle coatings show a worse reversal tolerance. This phenomenon can be attributed to the increased difficulty in removing oxygen bubbles.

The influence of nanostructures and interaction of Sn and Ir in oxygen evolution catalysts in a polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer were investigated. For this aim, two synthesis methods, namely, the one-step solution combustion method and the precipitation-deposition method with sodium borohydride reduction, were evaluated to prepare distinct nanostructures. Sn addition to Ir-based oxygen evolution reaction catalysts has been reported to yield materials with higher activity; however, in our case, this was observed only for Sn/Ir catalysts prepared by the precipitation-deposition method. The nanolayer of Sn/SnO₂ deposited over metallic Ir particles was identified to enhance the interfacial contacts, resulting in synergistic interactions. By deconvolution of the polarization curves into constituting contributions, the performance improvement was attributed to the higher exchange current density of the Sn/Ir powder as a consequence of a higher number of surface reaction sites created by the Sn-Ir interactions.

Electrochemical ammonia (NH₃) synthesis from nitrate (NO₃⁻) offers a promising greener alternative to the fossil-fuel-based Haber-Bosch process to support the increasing demand for nitrogen fertilizers while removing environmental waste. Previous studies have mainly focused on designing catalysts to promote the direct conversion (NO₃⁻ → NH₃) while suppressing the two-step pathway (NO₃⁻ → NO₂⁻ → NH₃). We hypothesize that efficient nitrate reduction is possible on simple catalysts by instead promoting the two-step reaction and using chemical reactor principles in a membrane electrode assembly, despite NO₂⁻ intermediates. Here, we use an unmodified copper catalyst and control reactivity through current density, flow rate, and electrolyte recycling. Balancing the electrolyte flow rate with current density results in ideal residence times for NO₂⁻, allowing for 91% FE_NH3 in a 5 cm² electrolyzer with a NO₃⁻ to NH₃ partial current of 1.8 A. This work shows that traditional engineering principles can substantially boost the NO₃ reduction reaction, even for simple catalysts.

Insight into mechanisms of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions holds importance in the development and optimization of new catalytic materials. Yet, the approaches often used in such investigations heavily rely on assumptions concerning the reactor and kinetics. Herein we report a new kind of kinetic investigation taking CO₂ hydrogenation reaction, specifically the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction over 3 wt% Pt/CeO₂, as an exemplifying case. The reported approach is based on spatially resolved steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis (SSITKA) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) identifying gaseous/surface species and their spatial variations along the reactor. This approach allows accurate evaluation of reaction mechanism by identifying correlations among the concentrations of gaseous/surface species and by quantitative description of their spatial variations by a kinetic model. Spatially resolved SSITKA-DRIFTS experiments show carbonate decomposition via a Pt-bound carbonyl to be the main route towards the production of carbon monoxide. Further kinetic modeling of the spatially resolved data confirms this mechanism proposal, and points to the production of water as the rate-limiting step.

To introduce promotional H₂O effects for both CH₄ rate and C₂ selectivity, the OH radical formation, catalyzed through H₂O activation with O₂ surface species, was critical for modeling selective Mn-K₂WO₄/SiO₂ catalysts. Based on our reported experimental evidence, which demonstrates the formation of H₂O₂ through surface alkali peroxide intermediate, the elementary reactions that account for the OH-mediated pathway were added into the microkinetic model. The advanced model adeptly replicated the promotional H₂O effects on both OCM rate and selectivity. The data from a low-pressure microkinetic study were treated isothermally, and extended for near-industrially relevant pressures up to 901 kPa. Thermal visualization using an infrared camera found substantial temperature increases at undiluted high-pressure conditions which caused C₂ selectivity to drop significantly. When the furnace temperatures were decreased after ignition, side reactions after O₂ depletion (e.g., hydrocarbon reforming) were suppressed, obtaining 13.7 (11.8) % yields at 19.9 % CH₄ conversion with 68.6 (59.1) % selectivities for C_2-4 (C₂) at 901 kPa. The temperature was found to be the determining factor of C₂ yield which was perturbed by varying space velocity or CH₄/O₂ ratios. The optimum temperature for high-pressure conditions was predicted as 885 °C at 901 kPa. The study provides mechanistic and industrially relevant understandings for further OCM catalyst design and system application.

The direct synthesis of methanol via the hydrogenation of CO₂, if performed efficiently and selectively, is potentially a powerful technology for CO₂ mitigation. Here, we develop an active and selective Cu-Zn/SiO₂ catalyst for the hydrogenation of CO₂ by introducing copper and zinc onto dehydroxylated silica via surface organometallic chemistry and atomic layer deposition, respectively. At 230 °C and 25 bar, the optimized catalyst shows an intrinsic methanol formation rate of 4.3 g h^-1 g_Cu^-1 and selectivity to methanol of 83%, with a space-time yield of 0.073 g h^-1 g_cat^-1 at a contact time of 0.06 s g mL^-1. X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Cu and Zn K-edges and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal that the CuZn alloy displays reactive metal support interactions; that is, it is stable under H₂ atmosphere and unstable under conditions of CO₂ hydrogenation, indicating that the dealloyed structure contains the sites promoting methanol synthesis. While solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies identify methoxy species as the main stable surface adsorbate, transient operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy indicates that μ-HCOO*(ZnO_x) species that form on the Cu-Zn/SiO₂ catalyst are hydrogenated to methanol faster than the μ-HCOO*(Cu) species that are found in the Zn-free Cu/SiO₂ catalyst, supporting the role of Zn in providing a higher activity in the Cu-Zn system.

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is an attractive method to produce renewable fuel and chemical feedstock using clean energy sources. Formate production represents one of the most economical target products from CO₂RR but is primarily produced using post-transition metal catalysts that require comparatively high overpotentials. Here a composition of bimetallic Cu–Pd is formulated on 2D Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) nanosheets that are lyophilized into a highly porous 3D aerogel, resulting in formate production much more efficient than post-transition metals. Using a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), formate selectivities >90% are achieved with a current density of 150 mA cm⁻² resulting in the highest ever reported overall energy efficiency of 47% (cell potentials of −2.8 V), over 5 h of operation. A comparable Cu-Pd aerogel achieves near-unity CO production without the MXene templating. This simple strategy represents an important step toward the experimental demonstration of 3D-MXenes-based electrocatalysts for CO₂RR application and opens a new platform for the fabrication of macroscale aerogel MXene-based electrocatalysts.