Ruthenium–Cobalt Solid-Solution Alloy Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photopromoted Thermocatalytic CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methane

Abstract

Bimetallic alloy nanoparticles have garnered substantial attention for diverse catalytic applications owing to their abundant active sites and tunable electronic structures, whereas the synthesis of ultrafine alloy nanoparticles with atomic-level homogeneity for bulk-state immiscible couples remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we present the synthesis of Ru x Co1–x solid-solution alloy nanoparticles (ca. 2 nm) across the entire composition range, for highly efficient, durable, and selective CO2 hydrogenation to CH4 under mild conditions. Notably, Ru0.88Co0.12/TiO2 and Ru0.74Co0.26/TiO2 catalysts, with 12 and 26 atom % of Ru being substituted by Co, exhibit enhanced catalytic activity compared with the monometallic Ru/TiO2 counterparts both in dark and under light irradiation. The comprehensive experimental investigations and density functional theory calculations unveil that the electronic state of Ru is subtly modulated owing to the intimate interaction between Ru and Co in the alloy nanoparticles, and this effect results in the decline in the CO2 conversion energy barrier, thus ultimately culminating in an elevated catalytic performance relative to monometallic Ru and Co catalysts. In the photopromoted thermocatalytic process, the photoinduced charge carriers and localized photothermal effect play a pivotal role in facilitating the chemical reaction process, which accounts for the further boosted CO2 methanation performance.

Density Functional Theory Calculations to Increase the Efficiency of Oxygen Electrode Catalysts from Ytterbium Single Atom Catalysts Using Nitrogen Solid Supports

“…As everyone knows, the d-band center theory is widely used to analyze the binding strength between transition metal catalysts and adsorbates. − The rare-earth element ytterbium has a special 4f orbital, so it is worth considering the influence of f-band centers on the catalyst performance. In this study, the adsorption free energy of adsorbed substances is discussed as the activity of catalysts is closely related to the adsorption strength of reactants …”

An Energy-Efficient Integrated System by Coupling Carbon Dioxide Reduction and Methanol Oxidation to Produce the Identical Value-Added Formic Acid

“…At present, researchers have developed a variety of methods to convert CO 2 into valuable compounds. [2][3][4][5] Electrochemical CO 2 reduction (ECR) is an efficient strategy to convert CO 2 to available value-added chemicals with mild conditions, and is a key part of global carbon neutrality and energy cycle. 6 Despite the enormous potential of ECR, there are still challenges that need to be overcome, such as complex reaction products and inevitable competitive hydrogen evolution reactions (HER).…”