Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide

Catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide transforms a major greenhouse gas into valuable chemicals and fuels by exploiting tailored catalysts under controlled conditions. The cornerstone is the reverse water–gas shift reaction, in which CO₂ and hydrogen react to form carbon monoxide and water, generating syngas for downstream synthesis of methanol, hydrocarbons or formic acid. Catalyst designs range from bulk metals to single-atom sites and supported clusters, each leveraging metal–support interactions, promoter effects and defect engineering to govern CO₂ adsorption, activation of H₂ and desorption of products. Key performance metrics include activity, selectivity and thermal stability, all critical for industrial viability. By integrating renewable hydrogen and optimised catalysts, CO₂ conversion technologies offer a route to circular carbon economies, mitigating emissions while producing renewable energy carriers and chemical feedstocks.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated the pivotal role of metal–support interfaces in enhancing CO₂ activation and product selectivity. One approach employs high-density nickel clusters dispersed on hydroxylated titanium dioxide, where Ni–OH interactions stabilise nanometre-sized clusters and facilitate simultaneous high CO₂ conversion and CO selectivity under reverse water–gas shift conditions. Another design constructs abundant platinum cluster–oxygen vacancy synergistic sites on MoOx–γ-Mo₂N heterostructures, achieving exceptional activity and stability at reduced temperatures by leveraging metal–vacancy interactions for efficient CO₂ dissociation and CO desorption. Complementary work explores partial sintering of copper on ceria nanorods, forming robust copper clusters and dynamic surface oxygen vacancies that sustain high-temperature reverse water–gas shift performance with outstanding durability.

Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Reverse water–gas shift (RWGS): A reaction converting CO₂ and H₂ into CO and H₂O, often used to produce syngas for further chemical synthesis.

Syngas: A mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen serving as a versatile feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals.

Oxygen vacancy: A defect site on an oxide support where an oxygen atom is missing, enhancing adsorption and activation of reactant molecules.

Metal–support interaction: Electronic and structural effects at the interface between metal catalysts and their supports that influence activity and selectivity.

Single-atom catalyst: A catalyst in which individual metal atoms are isolated on a support, offering maximised atom efficiency and unique reactivity.

References

1. Hydroxylated TiO2-induced high-density Ni clusters for breaking the activity-selectivity trade-off of CO2 hydrogenation. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Ptn–Ov synergistic sites on MoOx/γ-Mo2N heterostructure for low-temperature reverse water–gas shift reaction. Nature Communications (2022).
3. Partially sintered copper‒ceria as excellent catalyst for the high-temperature reverse water gas shift reaction. Nature Communications (2022).
4. Reconstruction of interface oxygen vacancy for boosting CO2 hydrogenation by Cu/CeO2 catalysts with thermal treatment. Carbon Capture Science & Technology (2024).
5. Ni Single Atom Catalysts for CO2 Activation. Journal of the American Chemical Society (2019).