Ruthenium Nanoparticles Supported on Mg(OH)₂ Microflowers as Catalysts for Photothermal Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation

Abstract

A strong sunlight-absorptive ability and high dispersity are considered as two key requirements of supported metal catalysts for efficient photothermal CO2 conversions. The former can be improved by increasing the metal loading but often at the expense of decreasing the latter. Here we develop an ion-exchange route to supported Ru nanoparticles with both high loadings and dispersity that exhibit enhanced activity and relatively good stability in photothermal CO2 catalysis. This strategy involves an ion-exchange reaction between Ru3+ and Mg(OH)2 to form uniformly distributed and chemically bonded Ru precursors on Mg(OH)2 supports. The subsequent low-temperature reduction by H2 produces highly dispersed Ru nanoparticles whose sizes barely change as the loading increases. Our study provides an avenue for the preparation of strongly light-absorptive and highly dispersed metal catalysts for efficient conversion of carbon dioxide into solar fuels.