Abstract:
Stable catalyst development for CO2 hydrogenation to
methanol is a challenge in catalysis. In this study, indium (In)-promoted
Cu nanoparticles supported on nanocrystalline CeO2 catalysts were
prepared and explored for methanol production from CO2. In-promoted
Cu catalysts with ∼1 wt % In loading showed a methanol production rate
of 0.016 mol gCu−1 h−1 with 95% methanol selectivity and no loss of activity
for 100 h. It is found that the addition of indium remarkably increases Cu
dispersion and decreases Cu particle size. In addition led to an increased
metal−support interaction, which stabilizes Cu particles against sintering
during the reaction, leading to high stability and activity. In addition,
density functional theory calculations suggested that the reaction is
proceeding via reverse water gas shift (RWGS) mechanism where the presence of In stabilized intermediate species and lowered
CO2 activation energy barriers.
