Electrocatalytic methane oxidation to formate on magnesium based metal-organic frameworks

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Methane (CH4) upgrading via electrochemical oxidation is challenging due to its inertness.
• Low activity and selectivity hinder the conversion of methane into value-added chemicals.
• Nature's methane mono-oxygenase offers inspiration for catalyst design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop efficient catalytic sites for electrochemical methane oxidation.
• To investigate the role of Mg-oxo-Mg nodes in Mg-substituted metal-organic frameworks (Mg-MOF-74).
• To enhance methane conversion into valuable chemicals with improved selectivity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Mg-substituted metal-organic frameworks (Mg-MOF-74).
• Electrochemical characterization of Mg-MOF-74, MgNi-MOF-74, and Mg(OH)2.
• Analysis of methane oxidation products and Faradaic efficiency.

Main Results:

• Mg-MOF-74 exhibited significantly enhanced CH4 electrooxidation performance compared to controls.
• The catalyst demonstrated unique selectivity for formate production.
• A maximum Faradaic efficiency of 10.9% for liquid products was achieved at 1.60 V vs RHE.

Conclusions:

• Uniformly distributed Mg-oxo-Mg nodes in Mg-MOF-74 act as efficient catalytic sites.
• Mg-MOF-74 offers a promising pathway for selective methane electrooxidation.
• This approach advances methane upgrading into value-added chemicals.