Monitoring Hydrogen Plasma Reduction of Oxides by Na D Lines

Out of many applications of hydrogen plasma, reduction of metal oxides is an important one. The reduction can be carried out using carbon or hydrogen. While carrying out the reduction of hematite (Fe₂O₃) in hydrogen plasma, an attempt was made to characterize the hydrogen plasma by optical emission spectroscopy. The spectroscopic results provide some new and useful information. In addition to the hydrogen emission lines, two prominent lines at 589 and 589.6 nm were observed. These two lines are confirmed to be sodium D1 and D2 (Na D lines) by comparing with a low pressure sodium vapour lamp (LPSVL). The source of the trace amount of sodium is also confirmed to be from the metal oxide sample as an impurity. These lines are found to be very sensitive to various process parameters such as gas flow rate, microwave power, and reduction chamber pressure. The temporal variation of these two Na D lines also shows a characteristic trend during metal oxide reduction in hydrogen plasma. The weight loss and the X-ray diffraction analyses of reduced Fe₂O₃ sample for different time duration provides the evidence of correlation with Na D lines’ intensity trend. This trend can be used to monitor the state and completion of hydrogen plasma based reduction reaction. In processes where Na is not associated with metal oxide, trace amount of Na in its molecular form such as NaOH can be introduced for monitoring the plasma process parameters as well as the plasma based reduction process.     

Organic functionalization of metal catalysts: Enhanced activity towards electroreduction of carbon dioxide

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide has been attracting extensive interest due to its fundamental significance both in environmental protection and in energy storage. In this review, recent progress in the manipulation of the catalytic activity and selectivity of various transition metals towards CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is summarized within the context of deliberate surface functionalization by select organic ligands. This is primarily manifested in three effects, interfacial charge transfer, suppression of hydrogen evolution, and stabilization of key reaction intermediates. The review is concluded with a perspective of the challenges and promises in the structural engineering of metal catalysts for enhanced CO₂RR performance.     

A short review on recent progress of Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts: The role of Bi metal

Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts have extensively been applied in the production of hydrogen, CO₂ reduction and environmental remediation in recent years. This short review summarizes the role of Bi metal as a plasma photocatalyst and cocatalyst. As a cocatalyst, Bi metal can be electron/hole trappers, charge transfer mediators, or oxygen vacancy coordinators. In addition, the preparation methods of the Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts are also reviewed. Challenges and future research directions related to Bi/semiconductor photocatalysts are discussed and summarized, including the use of advanced characterization techniques to refine the reaction mechanism, the difficulties of preparing Bi single atom catalyst, and the improvement of the reduction ability of Bi-based photocatalysts. This review helps understand the reaction mechanisms of the composite photocatalytic systems containing Bi metal and proposes new perspectives for designing the photocatalysts which can control air pollution via a reductive process.     

The catalytic performance of different promoted iron catalysts on combined supports Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> for carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Global warming, fossil fuel depletion and fuel price increases have motivated scientists to search for methods for the storage and reduction of the amount of greenhouse gases, especially CO₂. The hydrogenation process has been introduced as an emerging method of CO₂ capture and convertion into value-added products. In this study, new types of catalysts are introduced for CO₂ hydrogenation and are compared based on catalytic activity and product selectivity. The physical properties of the samples are specified using BET. Iron catalysts supported on γ-Al₂O₃ with different metal promoters (X = Ni, K, Mn, Cu) are prepared through the impregnation method. Moreover, Fe–Ni catalysts supported on HZSM5-Al₂O₃ and Ce–Al₂O₃ are synthesized. Samples are reduced by pure H₂ and involved in hydrogenation reaction in a fixed bed reactor (H₂/CO₂ = 3, total pressure = 10 MPa, temperature = 523 K, GHSV = 2000, 1250 nml/min). All catalysts provide high conversion in hydrogenation reactions and the results illustrate that the selectivity of light hydrocarbons is higher than that of methane and CO. It is found that Ni has a promoting effect on the conversion fluctuations throughout the reaction with 66.13% conversion. Using combined supported catalysts leads to enhancing catalytic performance. When Fe–Ni/γ–Al₂O₃—HZSM5 is utilized, CO₂ conversion is 81.66% and the stability of the Fe–Ni catalyst supported on Al₂O₃ and Ce–Al₂O₃ furthey improves.     

Regulating Efficient and Selective Single-atom Catalysts for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Anchoring transition metal (TM) atoms on suitable substrates to form single-atom catalysts (SACs) is a novel approach to constructing electrocatalysts. Graphdiyne with sp−sp² hybridized carbon atoms and uniformly distributed pores have been considered as a potential carbon material for supporting metal atoms in a variety of catalytic processes. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to study the single TM atom anchoring on graphdiyne (TM₁−GDY, TM=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Cu) as the catalysts for CO₂ reduction. After anchoring metal atoms on GDY, the catalytic activity of TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) for CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) are significantly improved comparing with the pristine GDY. Among the studied TM₁−GDY, Cu₁−GDY shows excellent electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction for which the product is HCOOH and the limiting potential (U_L) is −0.16 V. Mn₁−GDY and Co₁−GDY exhibit superior catalytic selectivity for CO₂ reduction to CH₄ with U_L of −0.62 and −0.34 V, respectively. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) occurs on carbon atoms, while the active sites of CO₂RR are the transition metal atoms . The present work is expected to provide a solid theoretical basis for CO₂ conversion into valuable hydrocarbons.     

Influence of Composition of Nickel-Iron Nanoparticles for Abiotic CO2 Conversion to Early Prebiotic Organics

Abiotic synthesis of formate and short hydrocarbons takes place in serpentinizing vents where some members of vent microbial communities live on abiotic formate as their main carbon source. To better understand the catalytic properties of Ni−Fe minerals that naturally exist in hydrothermal vents, we have investigated the ability of synthetic Ni−Fe based nanoparticular solids to catalyze the H₂-dependent reduction of CO₂, the first step required for the beginning of pre-biotic chemistry. Mono and bimetallic Ni−Fe nanoparticles with varied Ni-to-Fe ratios transform CO₂ and H₂ into intermediates and products of the acetyl-coenzyme A pathway—formate, acetate, and pyruvate—in mM range under mild hydrothermal conditions. Furthermore, Ni−Fe catalysts converted CO₂ to similar products without molecular H₂ by using water as a hydrogen source. Both CO₂ chemisorption analysis and post-reaction characterization of materials indicate that Ni and Fe metals play complementary roles for CO₂ fixation.     

Effective tri-metallic TiO2 supported catalyst for hydrocarbon production from carbon dioxide

The current socio-economic issues with concerns on environmental quality and global warming are attributed to high concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide due to extensive usage of fossil fuels. Thus, over the last two decades, comprehensive work has been reported on carbon capture and storage and catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons. Among these, the reactions with hydrocarbons to form value-added products have been in focus. In this work, an attempt was made to identify the feasibility of the reaction: carbon dioxide and steam to form hydrocarbons of fuel value. After reviewing the literature on the development of various catalysts and their mechanism, a multi-metallic catalyst supported by TiO₂ Nano-needles was explored. The reaction mechanism is expected to proceed with activated CO₂ complex and hydroxyl groups over the metal oxide catalyst. Current reported work on CO₂ and Hydrogen proceeds with activated CO₂ and protons over the catalyst. The characterization techniques mainly XPS, XRD, TGA, FESEM-EDAX, FTIR, and NMR were used to analyze the catalyst activity and to confirm the products formed. The reaction is found to yield methanol and oxygen only. However, the conversion is found to be 0.4% - 3.8% in the temperature range 350°C to 550°C. The reaction of CO₂ with hydroxyl groups from water vapor can be effective as an alternative to the reaction with protons from hydrogen.     

Tuning product selectivity in CO2 hydrogenation over metal-based catalysts

Conversion of CO₂ into chemicals is a promising strategy for CO₂ utilization, but its intricate transformation pathways and insufficient product selectivity still pose challenges. Exploiting new catalysts for tuning product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation is important to improve the viability of this technology, where reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) and methanation as competitive reactions play key roles in controlling product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation. So far, a series of metal-based catalysts with adjustable strong metal–support interactions, metal surface structure, and local environment of active sites have been developed, significantly tuning the product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation. Herein, we describe the recent advances in the fundamental understanding of the two reactions in CO₂ hydrogenation, in terms of emerging new catalysts which regulate the catalytic structure and switch reaction pathways, where the strong metal–support interactions, metal surface structure, and local environment of the active sites are particularly discussed. They are expected to enable efficient catalyst design for minimizing the deep hydrogenation and controlling the reaction towards the RWGS reaction. Finally, the potential utilization of these strategies for improving the performance of industrial catalysts is examined.

A series of metal oxide, phosphate, alloy, and carbide-based catalysts for selective CO₂ hydrogenation are summarized, showing their abilities to switch CO₂ methanation to RWGS.     

Tuning the Selectivity of Catalytic Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation over Iridium/Cerium Oxide Catalysts with a Strong Metal–Support Interaction

A one‐step ligand‐free method based on an adsorption–precipitation process was developed to fabricate iridium/cerium oxide (Ir/CeO₂) nanocatalysts. Ir species demonstrated a strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) with the CeO₂ substrate. The chemical state of Ir could be finely tuned by altering the loading of the metal. In the carbon dioxide (CO₂) hydrogenation reaction it was shown that the chemical state of Ir species—induced by a SMSI—has a major impact on the reaction selectivity. Direct evidence is provided indicating that a single‐site catalyst is not a prerequisite for inhibition of methanation and sole production of carbon monoxide (CO) in CO₂ hydrogenation. Instead, modulation of the chemical state of metal species by a strong metal–support interaction is more important for regulation of the observed selectivity (metallic Ir particles select for methane while partially oxidized Ir species select for CO production). The study provides insight into heterogeneous catalysts at nano, sub‐nano, and atomic scales.     

An Overview of Metal-Organic Framework Based Electrocatalysts: Design and Synthesis for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution,Oxygen Evolution,and Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reactions

Due to the increasing global energy demands, scarce fossil fuel supplies, and environmental issues, the pursued goals of energy technologies are being sustainable, more efficient, accessible, and produce near zero greenhouse gas emissions. Electrochemical water splitting is considered as a highly viable and eco-friendly energy technology. Further, electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is a cleaner strategy for CO₂ utilization and conversion to stable energy (fuels). One of the critical issues in these cleaner technologies is the development of efficient and economical electrocatalyst. Among various materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are becoming increasingly popular because of their structural tunability, such as pre- and post- synthetic modifications, flexibility in ligand design and its functional groups, and incorporation of different metal nodes, that allows for the design of suitable MOFs with desired quality required for each process. In this review, the design of MOF was discussed for specific process together with different synthetic methods and their effects on the MOF properties. The MOFs as electrocatalysts were highlighted with their performances from the aspects of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and electrochemical CO₂RR. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in this field are discussed.     

Reduction of Oxide Mixtures of (Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> + CuO) and (Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> + Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>) by Low-Temperature Hydrogen Plasma

The paper presents experimental results pertaining to the reduction of oxide mixtures namely (Fe₂O₃ + CuO) and (Fe₂O₃ + Co₃O₄), by low-temperature hydrogen plasma in a microwave hydrogen plasma set-up, at microwave power 750 W and hydrogen flow rate 2.5 × 10^?6 m³ s^?1. The objective was to examine the effect of addition of CuO or Co₃O₄, on the reduction of Fe₂O₃. In the case of the Fe₂O₃ and CuO mixture, oxides were reduced to form Fe and Cu metals. Enhancement of reduction of iron oxide was marginal. However, in the case of the Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ mixture, FeCo alloy was formed within compositions of Fe₇₀Co₃₀, to Fe₃₀Co₇₀. Since the temperature was below 841 K, no FeO formed during reduction and the sequence of Fe₂O₃ reduction was found to be Fe₂O₃ → Fe₃O₄ → Fe. Reduction of Co₃O₄ preceded that of Fe₂O₃. In the beginning, the reduction of oxides led to the formation of Fe–Co alloy that was rich in Co. Later Fe continued to enter into the alloy phase through diffusion and homogenization. The lattice strain of the alloy as a function of its composition was measured. In the oxide mixture in which excessive amount of Co₃O₄ was present, all the Co formed after reduction could not form the alloy and part of it appeared as FCC Co metal. The crystallite size of the alloy was in the range of 22–30 nm. The crystal size of the Fe–Co alloy reduced with an increase in Co concentration.     

Shedding Light Onto the Nature of Iron Decorated Graphene and Graphite Oxide Nanohybrids for CO2 Conversion at Atmospheric Pressure

We report on the design and testing of new graphite and graphene oxide-based extended π-conjugated synthetic scaffolds for applications in sustainable chemistry transformations. Nanoparticle-functionalised carbonaceous catalysts for new Fischer Tropsch and Reverse GasWater Shift (RGWS) transformations were prepared: functional graphene oxides emerged from graphite powders via an adapted Hummer's method and subsequently impregnated with uniform-sized nanoparticles. Then the resulting nanomaterials were imaged by TEM, SEM, EDX, AFM and characterised by IR, XPS and Raman spectroscopies prior to incorporation of Pd(II) promoters and further microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. Newly synthesised 2D and 3D layered nanostructures incorporating carbon-supported iron oxide nanoparticulate pre-catalysts were tested, upon hydrogen reduction in situ, for the conversion of CO₂ to CO as well as for the selective formation of CH₄ and longer chain hydrocarbons. The reduction reaction was also carried out and the catalytic species isolated and fully characterised. The catalytic activity of a graphene oxide-supported iron oxide pre-catalyst converted CO₂ into hydrocarbons at different temperatures (305, 335, 370 and 405 °C), and its activity compared well with that of the analogues supported on graphite oxide, the 3-dimensional material precursor to the graphene oxide. Investigation into the use of graphene oxide as a framework for catalysis showed that it has promising activity with respect to reverse gas water shift (RWGS) reaction of CO₂ to CO, even at the low levels of catalyst used and under the rather mild conditions employed at atmospheric pressure. Whilst the γ-Fe₂O₃ decorated graphene oxide-based pre-catalyst displays fairly constant activity up to 405 °C, it was found by GC-MS analysis to be unstable with respect to decomposition at higher temperatures. The addition of palladium as a promoter increased the activity of the iron functionalised graphite oxide in the RWGS. The activity of graphene oxide supported catalysts was found to be enhanced with respect to that of iron-functionalised graphite oxide with, or without palladium as a promoter, and comparable to that of Fe@carbon nanotube-based systems tested under analogous conditions. These results display a significant step forward for the catalytic activity estimations for the iron functionalised and rapidly processable and scalable graphene oxide. The hereby investigated phenomena are of particular relevance for the understanding of the intimate surface morphologies and the potential role of non-covalent interactions in the iron oxide-graphene oxide networks, which could inform the design of nano-materials with performance in future sustainable catalysis applications.     

Plasma-Chemical Conversion of Hydrogen Sulfide in the Atmosphere of Methane with Addition of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Plasma-chemical conversion of hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere of methane with addition of CO₂ and O₂ in the nonequilibrium plasma of barrier discharge is studied. The degree of hydrogen sulfide removal reaches 97 vol%. The degree of methane transformation does not exceed 14 vol%. Gaseous reaction products contain hydrogen, carbon oxides, and C₂–C₄ hydrocarbons. The energy consumption for the removal of hydrogen sulfide ranges from 84 to 182 eV molecule^?1. The process is accompanied by the formation of deposits on the surface of reactor electrodes. The composition of deposits is studied. Organic linear and cyclic polysulfides, as well as sulfones of various structures are identified in soluble components of deposits. Based on the experimental data and the results of theoretical estimates, a radical chain reaction mechanism is proposed. It is shown that the formation of polysulfide compounds with terminal alkyl and oxygen-containing groups is provided by the reactions between atomic oxygen, SH, and alkyl radical which were formed in the initial stages of processes in the non-equilibrium plasma of barrier discharge.     

Effect of metal oxides on the reforming of methane with carbon dioxide

The effect of basic and rare earth metal oxides on the stability of nickel-based catalysts for the CO₂ reforming of CH₄ has been studied. The addition of metal oxides increased the stability of Ni-based catalysts and reversed the values of the reaction orders with respect to both CH₄ and CO₂. In the presence of metal oxides, the values of the reaction orders with respect to CO₂ partial pressure followed the same trend of catalyst stability.     

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide: Part III. Adsorption and reduction of CO2 on platinum

The main properties of reductional adsorption of CO₂ on the platinum metals are studied. Chemisorbed particles are found to be produced only on platinum and rhodium. Electroreduction of CO₂ on these metals proceeds as a result of the interaction of CO₂ molecules activated in the course of adsorption on the metal surface with chemisorbed hydrogen. As a result, strongly chemisorbed particles are obtained on the surface which are the products of more profound reduction of CO₂ than to formic acid. The further reduction of these chemisorbed particles, accompanied by their desorption into the solution, is very slow due to very strong coupling of sorbed particles with the surface and to very fast backward adsorption of the reduction products. Neither reductional chemisorption of CO₂ nor interactions of CO₂ with adsorbed hydrogen were observed for iridium, palladium, osmium or ruthenium.     

Reaction and transport effects in the heterogeneous systems for lean gas purification

Sorption of hydrogen chloride gas by active soda and that of hydrogen sulfide gas by calcium oxide are explored by experiment as promising means of removing these detrimental contaminants from fuel gas: active Na₂CO₃ was prepared by the calcination of commercial NaHCO₃ at 200 °C; reactive CaO was formed by decomposing a fine-grained, high-calcium limestone at 830 °C. Techniques with a differential reactor were employed to explore the rate of reaction of HCl with Na₂CO₃ at 500 °C and that of H₂S with CaO at 800 °C. Time-resolved data on the sorbents’ conversion were collected as a function of mean particle size in the range between 0.285 and 1.12 mm. The surface reaction constants, deduced via the tractable model from the initial reaction rates of the two reactions, slightly increase with the increasing particle size. The proposed correlations enable to interpolate or cautiously extrapolate to other isotropic, irregularly shaped solids. The effective diffusivities educed by means of the model from the experimental curves decrease significantly with the increasing conversion and are affected by the particle size in both sorptions. The developed reaction rate equations can conveniently be applied to the design and simulation of the deep dechloridization and the bulk desulfurization of hot producer gas.     

Engineering of Ruthenium–Iron Oxide Colloidal Heterostructures: Improved Yields in CO2 Hydrogenation to Hydrocarbons

Catalytic CO₂ reduction to fuels and chemicals is a major pursuit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One approach utilizes the reverse water‐gas shift reaction, followed by Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, and iron is a well‐known candidate for this process. Some attempts have been made to modify and improve its reactivity, but resulted in limited success. Now, using ruthenium–iron oxide colloidal heterodimers, close contact between the two phases promotes the reduction of iron oxide via a proximal hydrogen spillover effect, leading to the formation of ruthenium–iron core–shell structures active for the reaction at significantly lower temperatures than in bare iron catalysts. Furthermore, by engineering the iron oxide shell thickness, a fourfold increase in hydrocarbon yield is achieved compared to the heterodimers. This work shows how rational design of colloidal heterostructures can result in materials with significantly improved catalytic performance in CO₂ conversion processes.     

DFT Comparison the Performance of Pd10Sn5 and Pd10Ag5 Electrocatalyst for Reduction of CO2

CO₂ electrocatalysis as a hydrocarbon is a promising means of achieving economical CO₂-mediated hydrogen energy cycling. Hydrocarbons are renewable hydrogen storage materials. The development of reliable metal alloy electrocatalysts is an urgent but challenging task associated with such systems, although there is still a lack of precise reaction mechanism design. In this study, the performance of Pd₁₀Ag₅ alloy nanoparticles (NPs) and Pd₁₀Sn₅ alloy nanoparticles (NPs) on the electrocatalytic reaction of CO₂ was compare. The kinetic and density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the selectivity of the Pd-based bimetallic catalyst to the C2 product is greater than that of C1, and the stability of Pd₁₀Ag₅ is better and less affected by the reaction environment. However, the catalytic performance of the Pd₁₀Sn₅ electrocatalyst in the liquid phase is the best. The insight obtained from the calculations is used to develop criteria for identifying new and improved catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ reduction.     

Iron and cobalt salicylaldimine complexes as catalysts for epoxide and carbon dioxide coupling: effects of substituents on catalytic activity

The synthesis and characterization of substituted ONNO-donor salen-type Schiff base complexes of general formula [M^III(L)Cl] (L = Schiff base ligand, M = Fe, Co) is reported. The complexes have been applied as catalysts for the coupling of carbon dioxide and styrene oxide in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide as a co-catalyst. The reactions were carried out under relatively low-pressure and solvent-free conditions. The effects of the metal center, ligands, and various substituents on the peripheral sites of the ligand on the coupling reaction were investigated. The catalyst systems were found to be selective for the coupling of CO₂ and styrene oxide, resulting in cyclic styrene carbonate. The cobalt(III) complex with no substituents on the ligand showed higher activity (TON = 1297) than the corresponding iron(III) complex (TON = 814); however, the iron(III)-based catalysts bearing electron-withdrawing substituents on the salen ligands (NEt₃, TON = 1732) showed the highest catalytic activity under similar reaction conditions. The activity of one of the cobalt(III) complexes toward the coupling of 1-butene oxide, cyclohexene oxide and propylene oxide with CO₂ was evaluated, revealing a notable activity for the coupling of 1-butene oxide.     

Boosting electrocatalytic selectivity in carbon dioxide reduction: The fundamental role of dispersing gold nanoparticles on silicon nanowires

Carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction (CO₂RR) has been recognized as an efficient way to mitigate CO₂ emissions and alleviate the pressure on global warming and associated environmental consequences. Gold (Au) is reported as stable and active electrocatalysts to convert CO₂ to CO at low overpotential due to its moderate adsorption strength of *COOH and *CO. The request for improved catalytic performance, however, is motivated by current unsatisfied catalytic selectivity because of the side hydrogen evolution reaction. In this context, the design of Au based binary catalysts that can boost CO selectivity is of great interest. In the present work, we report that Au nanoparticles can be feasibly dispersed and anchored on silicon nanowires to form Au-Si binary nanomaterials. The Au-Si may stably drive CO₂RR with a CO Faraday efficiency of 95.6% at ?0.6 V vs. RHE in 0.5 mol/L KHCO₃ solution. Such selectivity outperforms Au particles by up to 61%. Controlled experiments illustrate that such catalytic enhancement can chiefly be ascribed to electronic effects of binary catalysts. Theoretical calculations reveal that spontaneously produced silicon oxide may not only inhibit hydrogen evolution reaction, but also stabilize the key intermediate *COOH in CO formation.