Core-shell Ni/SiO₂@ZrO₂ catalyst for highly selective CO₂ conversion accompanied by enhancing reaction stability

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• The Reverse Water-Gas Shift (RWGS) reaction is crucial for CO2 conversion but faces challenges like methanation and catalyst sintering.
• Developing highly selective and stable catalysts is essential for efficient CO2 utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel core-shell catalyst for improved CO2 RWGS performance.
• To investigate the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of the developed catalyst.

Main Methods:

• Core-shell Ni/SiO2@ZrO2 catalyst synthesized using wet impregnation and in-situ hydrothermal methods.
• Characterization of catalyst properties including metal-support interaction, oxygen vacancies, and CO2 adsorption.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance in the CO2 RWGS reaction under varying gas hourly space velocities (GHSV).

Main Results:

• The optimized Ni/SiO2@4ZrO2 catalyst demonstrated enhanced metal-support interaction, abundant oxygen vacancies, and suitable CO2 adsorption sites.
• Achieved significant hydrogenation activity and superior selectivity towards CO compared to the reference Ni/SiO2 catalyst.
• Exhibited excellent catalytic stability with 100% CO selectivity at 600°C for 72 hours.

Conclusions:

• The core-shell Ni/SiO2@ZrO2 catalyst offers a promising strategy for efficient and stable CO2 conversion via the RWGS reaction.
• The catalyst design overcomes key challenges, paving the way for practical applications in CO2 utilization.
• This approach is potentially applicable to other multiphase reaction systems.