Synergistic photothermal and photochemical partial oxidation of methane over noble metals incorporated in mesoporous silica

A hot-carrier-driven photocatalytic system was established by incorporating noble metals (Rh, Pd, Ru, and Pt) in a mesoporous silica (MCM-41) for the partial oxidation of methane (POM) under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The Rh/MCM photocatalyst initiated POM at a mild operating temperature of 423 K with syngas generation. The reaction was identified as a synergistic photothermal and photochemical process.