Strong Interaction over Ru/Defects-Rich Aluminium Oxide Boosts Photothermal CO2 Methanation via Microchannel Flow-Type System

The CO2 methanation is an important component of the power to gas strategy, and the Ru-Al2O3 catalyst is considered to be a state-of-the-art catalyst for this reaction. Conventional Ru-Al2O3 is prepared by wet impregnation. Due to weak interactions between Ru and the Al2O3, construction of a controllable interface between the metal and the substrate is still challenging. In this work, a UV pulse laser is used to controllably construct ultra-small Ru nanoparticles on defects-rich Al2O3-x-L in situ grown on Al foil (Ru-Al2O3-x-L) for effective photothermal CO2 methanation. The catkin-like fluff Al2O3-x-L efficiently traps light to ensure the light adsorption of Ru-Al2O3-x-L. The defects in Al2O3-x-L efficiently anchors Ru. A Strong-Metal-Support-Interaction (SMSI) effect is constructed between the ultra-small Ru nanoparticles and the Al2O3-x-L. The Ru-Al2O3-x-L exhibits remarkable photothermal catalytic performance (CH4 yield of 12.35 mol g(Ru)(-1) h(-1)) in the closed batch system. Then an innovative flow reactor is established based on the one-piece Ru-Al2O3-x-L microchannel catalyst. Thanks to local pressure on the edge of the microchannels, the CH4 yield is further enhanced to 14.04 mol g(Ru)(-1) h(-1). Finally, an outdoor setup demonstrates the feasibility of photothermal CO2 methanation (CH4 yield of 18.00 mmol min(-1)). This work provides novel perspectives for the construction of multi-level micro/nanostructures integrated catalysts for photothermal CO2 methanation.

Automated summary

This study utilized UV pulse laser to construct Ru-Al2O3-x-L catalyst on Al foil for efficient photothermal CO2 methanation. The catalyst exhibited remarkable catalytic performance and an innovative flow reactor was established to further enhance the CH4 yield.