Exploring the use of supported MoS2 catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. Understanding the optimum MoS2 morphology for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. Correlate catalytic performance with the structural properties of MoS2 to identify potential active sites and establish structure–performance relationships.
CO2 hydrogenation to methanol can become a key technology in the fight against climate change. If methanol can be manufactured from CO2 waste with renewably sourced H2, the carbon footprint of various chemicals and fuels can be significantly decreased. CO2 hydrogenation is preferably carried out at low temperatures to achieve high methanol yield. However, low reaction temperatures imply kinetic constraints, which more active catalysts can overcome. Typical methanol synthesis catalysts include Cu-ZnO (commercial for CO hydrogenation) and promoted metal oxides (e.g., Pd-In2O3). This project will investigate another material, MoS2, a metal sulfide, for its performance in CO2 hydrogenation, following promising results in recent literature. So far, little is known about the underlying chemistry of CO2 hydrogenation on metal sulfides. This project will investigate the use of supported MoS2 catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. These supported catalysts will be compared to bulk references. Operando characterization methods will further scrutinize the mechanism of the CO2 hydrogenation reaction on MoS2. Overall, this research will provide insight into the promise of metal sulfide catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.
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