The transformation of CO2 into alcohols or other hydrocarbon compounds is challenging because of the difficulties associated with the chemical activation of CO2 by heterogeneous catalysts. Pure metals and bimetallic systems used for this task have usually trouble binding CO2 and, thus, low catalytic activity. Here, we will discuss a series of in-situ studies investigating the mechanisms of CO2 hydrogenation on a series of metal/oxide catalysts: CeOx/Cu(111), Cu/CeOx/TiO2(110) and ZnO/Cu(111). Ambient-pressure XPS is a powerful tool for the detection of reaction intermediates and changes in the oxidation state of the catalyst surface. CeOx/Cu(111), Cu/CeOx/TiO2(110) and ZnO/Cu(111) exhibit an activity for the CO2 → CH3OH conversion that is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that of a benchmark Cu(111) catalyst. In the Cu-CeOx and Cu-ZnO interfaces, the combination of metal and oxide centers affords complementary chemical properties that lead to special reaction pathways for methanol synthesis. The results of Ambient-pressure XPS and XAS show that metal-oxide interfaces also can be tuned for the activation and conversion of CH4.

Conversion of CO2 and CH4 on metal-oxide interfaces: In situ studies with XPS and XAS

2019 Fall National Meeting

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