Synthesis of defect-rich La ₂ O ₂ CO ₃ supports for enhanced CO ₂ -to-methanol conversion efficiency

Abstract

Converting CO 2 to methanol is crucial for addressing fuel scarcity and mitigating the greenhouse effect. Cu-based catalysts, with their diverse surface states, offer the potential to control reaction pathways and generate reactive H* species. However, a major challenge lies in oxidizing active Cu 0 species by water generated during the catalytic process. While nonreducible metal oxides are beneficial in stabilizing metallic states, their limited capability to generate surface oxygen vacancies (O V ) hinders CO 2 activation. Herein, we present a strategy by doping Nd into a La 2 O 2 CO 3 (LOC) support, enhancing O V formation by disrupting its lattice dyadicity. This leads to higher Cu 0 concentration and improved CO 2 activation. The resulting Cu/LOC:Nd catalyst notably outperforms Cu/LOC and CuZnAl catalysts, achieving a methanol yield of 9.9 moles of methanol per hour per mole of Cu. Our approach opens up possibilities for enhancing Cu-based catalysts in CO 2 conversion.