Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2026

CO2 Photoreduction to CH4 Performance Under Concentrating Solar Light
Published on: June 12, 2019
Visible light suppresses carbon formation on Ni/CeO2 catalyst in methane dry reforming reaction
Kristijan Lorber1, Vasyl Shvalya2, Damjan Vengust2
1National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova ulica 19, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Abstract:
Dry reforming of methane (DRM) with carbon dioxide produces CO-rich syngas for methanol and Fischer-Tropsch fuel synthesis, but carbon deposition deactivates catalysts and limits commercialization. We suppress detectable carbon accumulation by illuminating a 2Ni/CeO₂₋ₓ nanorod catalyst with visible light (610 mW/cm²) under the tested conditions. Illumination enhances methane conversion, improves H₂ selectivity, and prevents carbon deposition during conversion of undiluted CH₄/CO₂ = 3:1 feed at 400-600 °C. Isotopically labeled ¹⁸O₂ experiments reveal that visible light activates oxygen mobility in nickel-decorated ceria at just 40 °C, compared with 327 °C under thermal stimulation in the dark. Illumination dramatically lowers the activation barriers for surface and lattice oxygen exchange to 18 and 55 kJ/mol through light-induced electron displacement, Ce-O bond weakening, and ceria lattice expansion. These findings establish photo-stimulation as a low-temperature redox trigger for enhanced oxygen ion mobility, enabling improved catalytic performance and broader catalytic and sensing applications.
Related Concept Videos
Catalysis
meta-Directing Deactivators: –NO2, –CN, –CHO, –⁠CO2R, –COR, –CO2H
Limiting Reactant
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the surface of...
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction
As shown below, the mechanism involves three steps. Firstly, the hydride ion acting as a nucleophile attacks the nitrile carbon to form an anion. In the second step, a second equivalent of the hydride ion attacks the anion to...
The Equilibrium Constant

