Copper Nanocrystals Encapsulated in Zr-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Selective CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Research Progress in Conversion of CO2 to Valuable Fuels

Rapid growth in the world's economy depends on a significant increase in energy consumption. As is known, most of the present energy supply comes from coal, oil, and natural gas. The overreliance on fossil energy brings serious environmental problems in addition to the scarcity of energy. One of the most concerning environmental problems is the large contribution to global warming because of the massive discharge of CO₂ in the burning of fossil fuels. Therefore, many efforts have been made to resolve such issues. Among them, the preparation of valuable fuels or chemicals from greenhouse gas (CO₂) has attracted great attention because it has made a promising step toward simultaneously resolving the environment and energy problems. This article reviews the current progress in CO₂ conversion via different strategies, including thermal catalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, light-capturing agents including macrocycles with conjugated structures similar to chlorophyll have attracted increasing attention. Using such macrocycles as photosensitizers, photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, or coupling with enzymatic reactions were conducted to fulfill the conversion of CO₂ with high efficiency and specificity. Recent progress in enzyme coupled to photocatalysis and enzyme coupled to photoelectrocatalysis were specially reviewed in this review. Additionally, the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of different conversion methods were also presented. We wish to provide certain constructive ideas for new investigators and deep insights into the research of CO₂ conversion.

Adsorption and activation of CO2 on Zrn (n = 2-7) clusters

The first step in the conversion of CO2 to useful chemicals involves the adsorption of this molecule on a catalyst accompanied with its high degree of activation. In this paper, we explore the efficacy of small sized zirconium clusters, Zrn (n = 2-7), in the adsorption and activation of the CO2 molecule by using the density functional theory based ab initio method. The results of our calculations provide compelling evidence for the chemisorption and very high degree of activation of CO2 with the elongation of the C-O bond in the range of 1.27-1.42 Å compared to 1.16 Å for free CO2 and the deformation of the O-C-O bond angle from linear to 115-136°. This activation takes place through a charge migration from the Zrn cluster to the CO2 molecule resulting in the formation of CO2δ- species. To assess the catalytic potential of Zr-clusters for CO2 conversion, we also analyse the reaction pathways and the transition barrier heights for the dissociation of CO2 (CO2 → CO + O) on all the Zrn clusters. Our results for the dissociation of CO2 to CO and O fragments reveal that the transition barrier is small for all the Zrn clusters except for Zr2 and Zr4 and it attains a minimum value of 0.11 eV for an isomer of the Zr6 cluster. The present work clearly demonstrates that small-sized monometallic Zr-clusters are highly efficient in activating and dissociating a CO2 molecule adsorbed on these clusters.

The function of metal-organic frameworks in the application of MOF-based composites

In the last two decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a class of porous crystalline materials formed by organic linkers coordinated-metal ions, have attracted increasing attention due to their unique structures and wide applications. Compared to single components, various well-designed MOF-based composites combining MOFs with other functional materials, such as nanoparticles, quantum dots, natural enzymes and polymers with remarkably enhanced or novel properties have recently been reported. To efficiently and directionally synthesize high-performance MOF-based composites for specific applications, it is vital to understand the structural-functional relationships and role of MOFs. In this review, preparation methods of MOF-based composites are first summarized and then the relationship between the structure and performance is determined. The functions of MOFs in practical use are classified and discussed through various examples, which may help chemists to understand the structural-functional relationship in MOF-based composites from a new perspective.

Multi-Scale Analysis of Integrated C1 (CH4 and CO2) Utilization Catalytic Processes: Impacts of Catalysts Characteristics up to Industrial-Scale Process Flowsheeting, Part I: Experimental Analysis of Catalytic Low-Pressure CO2 to Methanol Conversion

A multi-aspect analysis of low-pressure catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 for methanol production is reported in the first part (part I) of this paper. This includes an extensive review of distinguished low-pressure catalytic CO2-hydrogenation systems. Specifically, the results of the conducted systematic experimental investigation on the impacts of synthesis and micro-scale characteristics of the selected Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 model-catalysts on their activity and stability are discussed. The performance of the investigated Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts, synthesized via different methods, were tested under a targeted range of operating conditions in this research. Specifically, the performances of these tested Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts with regard to the impacts of the main operating parameters, namely H2/CO2 ratio (at stoichiometric -3-, average -6- and high -9- ratios), temperature (in the range of 160–260 °C) and the lower and upper values of physically achievable gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) (corresponding to 200 h−1 and 684 h−1, respectively), were analyzed. It was found that the catalyst prepared by the hydrolysis co-precipitation method, with a homogenously distributed copper content over its entire surface, provides a promising methanol yield of 21% at a reaction temperature of 200 °C, lowest tested GHSV, highest tested H2/CO2 ratio (9) and operating pressure (10 bar). This is in line with other promising results so far reported for this catalytic system even in pilot-plant scale, highlighting its potential for large-scale methanol production. To analyze the findings in more details, the thermal-reaction performance of the system, specifically with regard to the impact of GHSV on the CO2-conversion and methanol selectivity, and yield were experimentally investigated. Moreover, the stability of the selected catalysts, as another crucial factor for potential industrial operation of this system, was tested under continual long-term operation for 150 h, the reaction-reductive shifting-atmospheres and also even after introducing oxygen to the catalyst surface followed by hydrogen reduction-reaction tests. Only the latter state was found to affect the stable performance of the screened catalysts in this research. In addition, the reported experimental reactor performances have been analyzed in the light of equilibrium-based calculated achievable performance of this reaction system. In the performed multi-scale analysis in this research, the requirements for establishing a selective-stable catalytic performance based on the catalyst- and reactor-scale analyses have been identified. This will be combined with the techno–economic performance analysis of the industrial-scale novel integrated process, utilizing the selected catalyst in this research, in the form of an add-on catalytic system under 10 bar pressure and H2/CO2 ratio (3), for efficiently reducing the overall CO2-emission from oxidative coupling of methane reactors, as reported in the second part (part II) of this paper.

Confined Heteropoly Blues in Defected Zr-MOF (Bottle Around Ship) for High-Efficiency Oxidative Desulfurization

The Keggin-type polyoxometalates (POMs) are effective catalysts for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) and confining these POMs in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a promising strategy to improve their performances. Herein, postsynthetic modification of POMs confined in MOFs by adding thiourea creates more unsaturated metal sites as defects, promoting ODS catalytic activity. Additional modification by confining 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium POMs in MOFs is performed to obtain higher ODS activity, owing to the affinity between electron-rich thiophene-based compounds and electrophilic imidazolium compounds. The ODS catalytic activities of four Zr-MOF-based composites (bottle around ship) including phosphomolybdate acid (PMA)/UiO-66, [Bmim]₃ PMo₁₂ O₄₀ /UiO-66, PMA/Thiourea/UiO-66, and [Bmim]₃ PMo₁₂ O₄₀ /Thiourea/UiO-66 are therefore investigated in detail. In order to explore the catalytic mechanism of these MOF composites, their microstructures and electronic structures are probed by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared, Raman, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, BET, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, EPR, UV-vis, NMR spectra, and H₂ -temperature-programmed reduction. The results reveal that phosphomolybdate blues and imidazolium phosphomolybdate blues with different Mo⁵⁺ /Mo⁶⁺ ratios with the Keggin structure are confined in defected UiO-66 for all four composites. This approach can be applied to design and synthesize other POMs/MOFs composites as efficient catalysts.

Encapsulating Pt Nanoparticles inside a Derived Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Enhancement of Catalytic Activity

The development of highly active and stable electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a key for commercial application of fuel cells and water splitting. Here, we report a highly active and stable Pt nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) carbon layers derived from the ultrathin 2D metal-organic framework precursor (ZIF-67). Electrochemical tests reveal that our approach not only stabilized Pt NPs successfully but also boosted Pt activities toward ORR and HER. We found that our Pt catalysts encapsulated in ultrathin 2D carbon layers exhibited an ORR activity of 5.9 and 12 times greater than those of the commercial Pt/C and Pt/RGO without 2D carbon layer protection. Our encapsulated Pt catalysts also show more than nine times higher stability than those of Pt/C catalysts. In addition to ORR, our novel encapsulated Pt catalysts display an extraordinary stability and activity toward HER, with a lower overpotential (14.3 mV in acidic media and 37.2 mV in alkaline media) at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 than Pt/C catalysts (23.1 mV in acidic media and 92.1 mV in alkaline media). The enhanced electrochemical activities and stability of our encapsulated Pt catalysts are attributed to the synergistic effect of Pt-based NPs and ultrathin 2D carbon layers derived from ZIF-67 with enriched active sites Co-N_x. First-principles simulations reveal that the synergistic catalysis of Pt-based NPs and Co-N_x derived from ZIF-67 improves the activity for ORR and HER.

MOF-Derived Cu2O/Cu Nanospheres Anchored in Nitrogen-Doped Hollow Porous Carbon Framework for Increasing the Selectivity and Activity of Electrochemical CO2-to-Formate Conversion

Copper-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives have been used for CO₂ electroreduction; however, they still have obvious drawbacks like poor selectivity and durability. Here, Cu_btc (btc = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate)-derived Cu₂O/Cu anchored in a nitrogen-doped porous carbon framework (Cu₂O/Cu@NC) was prepared for CO₂ electroreduction. Cu₂O/Cu@NC-800 (carbonizing Cu_btc at 800 °C) produced formate and ethanol concurrently with an overpotential as low as ∼380 mV. However, it exhibited higher selectivity toward formate against ethanol, with the maximum formate faradaic efficiencies of 70.5% at -0.68 V vs a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which was 1.79 and 1.84 times higher than that of Cu₂O/Cu@NC-700 and Cu₂O/Cu@NC-900. This superior performance remained stable for over 30 h. The enhancement in activity and selectivity was attributed to (i) a higher Cu content and well-dispersed Cu₂O/Cu nanoparticles inside the carbon frameworks, which provided abundant active reaction sites, and (ii) a higher content of N doped into the Cu₂O/Cu lattice to possibly facilitate *OCHO generation. These findings provided a convenient strategy to enhance the activity and selectivity of catalysts for efficient CO₂ electroreduction.

Recent Advances on the Rational Design of Non-Precious Metal Oxide Catalysts Exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 Binary System: Implications of Size, Shape and Electronic Effects on Intrinsic Reactivity and Metal-Support Interactions

Catalysis is an indispensable part of our society, massively involved in numerous energy and environmental applications. Although, noble metals (NMs)-based catalysts are routinely employed in catalysis, their limited resources and high cost hinder the widespread practical application. In this regard, the development of NMs-free metal oxides (MOs) with improved catalytic activity, selectivity and durability is currently one of the main research pillars in the area of heterogeneous catalysis. The present review, involving our recent efforts in the field, aims to provide the latest advances—mainly in the last 10 years—on the rational design of MOs, i.e., the general optimization framework followed to fine-tune non-precious metal oxide sites and their surrounding environment by means of appropriate synthetic and promotional/modification routes, exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 binary system. The fine-tuning of size, shape and electronic/chemical state (e.g., through advanced synthetic routes, special pretreatment protocols, alkali promotion, chemical/structural modification by reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) can exert a profound influence not only to the reactivity of metal sites in its own right, but also to metal-support interfacial activity, offering highly active and stable materials for real-life energy and environmental applications. The main implications of size-, shape- and electronic/chemical-adjustment on the catalytic performance of CuOx/CeO2 binary system during some of the most relevant applications in heterogeneous catalysis, such as CO oxidation, N2O decomposition, preferential oxidation of CO (CO-PROX), water gas shift reaction (WGSR), and CO2 hydrogenation to value-added products, are thoroughly discussed. It is clearly revealed that the rational design and tailoring of NMs-free metal oxides can lead to extremely active composites, with comparable or even superior reactivity than that of NMs-based catalysts. The obtained conclusions could provide rationales and design principles towards the development of cost-effective, highly active NMs-free MOs, paving also the way for the decrease of noble metals content in NMs-based catalysts.

Ligand-Functionalization-Controlled Activity of Metal-Organic Framework-Encapsulated Pt Nanocatalyst toward Activation of Water

We first report the systematic control of the reactivity of H₂O vapor in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with Pt nanocrystals (NCs) through ligand functionalization. We successfully synthesized Pt NCs covered with a water-stable MOF, UiO-66 (Pt@UiO-66), having different metal ions or functionalized ligands. The ligand functionalization of UiO-66 significantly affected the catalytic performance of the water-gas shift reaction, and the replacement of Zr⁴⁺ ions with Hf⁴⁺ ions in UiO-66 had no impact on the catalytic activity. The introduction of a -Br group lowered the reactivity of Pt@UiO-66 by nearly half, whereas the substitution of -Br with a -Me₂ group triply enhanced the activity. The origin of the enhanced catalytic activity was found to be the change in H₂O activity in the UiO-66 pores by the ligand functionalization, which was investigated using H₂O sorption, solid-state NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and in situ IR measurements. This work opens a new prospect to develop MOFs as a platform to activate H₂O.

State of the art and perspectives in heterogeneous catalysis of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

The ever-increasing amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions has resulted in great environmental impacts, the heterogeneous catalysis of CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol is of great significance.

CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol over Ce and Zr Containing UiO-66 and Cu/UiO-66

Direct hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol is an interesting method to recycle CO2 emitted e.g., during combustion of fossil fuels. However, it is a challenging process because both the selectivity to methanol and its production are low. The metal-organic frameworks are relatively new class of materials with a potential to be used as catalysts or catalysts supports, also in the reaction of MeOH production. Among many interesting structures, the UiO-66 draws significant attention owing to its chemical and thermal stability, developed surface area, and the possibility of tuning its properties e.g., by exchanging the zirconium in the nodes to other metal cations. In this work we discuss—for the first time—the performance of Cu supported on UiO-66(Ce/Zr) in CO2 hydrogenation to MeOH. We show the impact of the composition of UiO-66-based catalysts, and the character of Cu-Zr and Cu-Ce interactions on MeOH production and MeOH selectivity during test carried out for 25 h at T = 200 °C and p = 1.8 MPa. Significant increase of selectivity to MeOH was noticed after exchanging half of Zr4+ cations with Ce4+; however, no change in MeOH production occurred. It was found that the Cu-Ce coexistence in the UiO-66-based catalytic system reduced the selectivity to MeOH when compared to Cu/UiO-66(Zr), which was ascribed to lower concentration of Cu0 active sites in Cu/UiO-66(Ce/Zr), and this was caused by oxygen spill-over between Cu0 and Ce4+, and thus, the oxidation of the former. The impact of reaction conditions on the structure stability of tested catalyst was also determined.

Photoactivation of Cu Centers in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Selective CO2 Conversion to Ethanol

CO₂ hydrogenation to ethanol is of practical importance but poses a significant challenge due to the need of forming one C-C bond while keeping one C-O bond intact. Cu^I centers could selectively catalyze CO₂-to-ethanol conversion, but the Cu^I catalytic sites were unstable under reaction conditions. Here we report the use of low-intensity light to generate Cu^I species in the cavities of a metal-organic framework (MOF) for catalytic CO₂ hydrogenation to ethanol. X-ray photoelectron and transient absorption spectroscopies indicate the generation of Cu^I species via single-electron transfer from photoexcited [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺-based ligands on the MOF to Cu^II centers in the cavities and from Cu⁰ centers to the photoexcited [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺-based ligands. Upon light activation, this Cu-Ru-MOF hybrid selectively hydrogenates CO₂ to EtOH with an activity of 9650 μmol g_Cu^-1 h^-1 under 2 MPa of H₂/CO₂ = 3:1 at 150 °C. Low-intensity light thus generates and stabilizes Cu^I species for sustained EtOH production.

CO2 hydrogenation to high-value products via heterogeneous catalysis

Recently, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, along with hydrogen from renewable resources, provide an alternative approach to synthesis of useful fuels and chemicals. People are increasingly interested in developing innovative carbon dioxide hydrogenation catalysts, and the pace of progress in this area is accelerating. Accordingly, this perspective presents current state of the art and outlook in synthesis of light olefins, dimethyl ether, liquid fuels, and alcohols through two leading hydrogenation mechanisms: methanol reaction and Fischer-Tropsch based carbon dioxide hydrogenation. The future research directions for developing new heterogeneous catalysts with transformational technologies, including 3D printing and artificial intelligence, are provided.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and conversion provide an alternative approach to synthesis of useful fuels and chemicals. Here, Ye et al. give a comprehensive perspective on the current state of the art and outlook of CO₂ catalytic hydrogenation to the synthesis of light olefins, dimethyl ether, liquid fuels, and alcohols.

Recent Innovation of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Carbon Dioxide Photocatalytic Reduction

The accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollutants in the atmosphere begets global warming, forcing us to face tangible catastrophes worldwide. Environmental affability, affordability, and efficient CO2 metamorphotic capacity are critical factors for photocatalysts; metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the best candidates. MOFs, as hybrid organic ligand and inorganic nodal metal with tailorable morphological texture and adaptable electronic structure, are contemporary artificial photocatalysts. The semiconducting nature and porous topology of MOFs, respectively, assists with photogenerated multi-exciton injection and adsorption of substrate proximate to void cavities, thereby converting CO2. The vitality of the employment of MOFs in CO2 photolytic reaction has emerged from the fact that they are not only an inherently eco-friendly weapon for pollutant extermination, but also a potential tool for alleviating foreseeable fuel crises. The excellent synergistic interaction between the central metal and organic linker allows decisive implementation for the design, integration, and application of the catalytic bundle. In this review, we presented recent MOF headway focusing on reports of the last three years, exhaustively categorized based on central metal-type, and novel discussion, from material preparation to photocatalytic, simulated performance recordings of respective as-synthesized materials. The selective CO2 reduction capacities into syngas or formate of standalone or composite MOFs with definite photocatalytic reaction conditions was considered and compared.

Ni–Zn–Al-Based Oxide/Spinel Nanostructures for High Performance, Methane-Selective CO2 Hydrogenation Reactions

Abstract

In the present study, NiO modified ZnAl2O4 and ZnO modified NiAl2O4 spinel along with pure Al2O3, ZnAl2O4 and NiAl2O4 for comparison in the CO2 hydrogenation reaction have been investigated. It was found that NiAl2O4, NiO/ZnAl2O4 and ZnO/NiAl2O4 catalysts exhibited outstanding activity and selectivity towards methane even at high temperature compared to similar spinel structures reported in the literature. NiO/ZnAl2O4 catalyst showed CO2 consumption rate of ~ 19 μmol/g·s at 600 °C and ~ 85% as well as ~ 50% of methane selectivity at 450 °C and 600 °C, respectively. The high activity and selectivity of methane can be attributed to the presence of metallic Ni and Ni/NiO/ZnAl2O4 interface under the reaction conditions as evidenced by the XRD results.

Graphic Abstract

High performance Ni–Zn–Al-based oxide/spinel nanostructures is synthesized and NiO/ZnAl2O4 catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity in the CO2 hydrogenation reaction due to the presence of metal support interaction between Ni and ZnAl2O4 support.

A Facile Method for Preparing UiO-66 Encapsulated Ru Catalyst and its Application in Plasma-Assisted CO2 Methanation

With increasing applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the field of gas separation and catalysis, the preparation and performance research of encapsulating metal nanoparticles (NPs) into MOFs (M@MOF) have attracted extensive attention recently. Herein, an Ru@UiO-66 catalyst is prepared by a one-step method. Ru NPs are encapsulated in situ in the UiO-66 skeleton structure during the synthesis of UiO-66 metal-organic framework via a solvothermal method, and its catalytic activity for CO₂ methanation with the synergy of cold plasma is studied. The crystallinity and structural integrity of UiO-66 is maintained after encapsulating Ru NPs according to the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As illustrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and mapping analysis, the Ru species of the hydration ruthenium trichloride precursor are reduced to metallic Ru NPs without additional reducing processes during the synthesis of Ru@UiO-66, and the Ru NPs are uniformly distributed inside the Ru@UiO-66. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N₂ sorption analysis show that the specific surface area and thermal stability of Ru@UiO-66 decrease slightly compared with that of UiO-66 and was ascribed to the encapsulation of Ru NPs in the UiO-66 skeleton. The results of plasma-assisted catalytic CO₂ methanation indicate that Ru@UiO-66 exhibits excellent catalytic activity. CO₂ conversion and CH₄ selectivity over Ru@UiO-66 reached 72.2% and 95.4% under 13.0 W of discharge power and a 30 mL·min^-1 gas flow rate ( V H 2 : V C O 2 = 4 : 1 ), respectively. Both values are significantly higher than pure UiO-66 with plasma and Ru/Al₂O₃ with plasma. The enhanced performance of Ru@UiO-66 is attributed to its unique framework structure and excellent dispersion of Ru NPs.

Frustrated Lewis pair-mediated fixation of CO2 within a metal-organic framework

Finding pragmatic solutions to curb the accumulation of atmospheric CO2 and tackle the associated greenhouse effect is challenging. Herein, we demonstrate the use of an in situ formed frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) within a metal-organic framework (MOF) to effectively hydrogenate CO2 to methoxide at a relatively low temperature and pressure. The work presents a step toward the discovery of practical catalysts for CO2 reduction and conversion.

MxOy-ZrO2 (M = Zn, Co, Cu) Solid Solutions Derived from Schiff Base-Bridged UiO-66 Composites as High-Performance Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation

Metal-organic frameworks have been exploited as excellent solid precursors and templates for the preparation integrated nanocatalysts with multicomponent and hierarchical structures. Herein, a novel synthetic protocol has been developed to fabricate versatile Zr-based solid solutions (such as ZnO-ZrO₂, Co₃O₄-ZrO₂, and CuO-ZrO₂) via pyrolysis of Schiff base-modified UiO-66 octahedrons (size <100 nm), which were then utilized as efficient catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation. The Schiff base serves as an effective bridge to dope secondary metal ions into UiO-66 frameworks with controlled amounts of 0.13-8.8 wt %, which are initially hard to achieve. Interestingly, by simply changing the loading metal ions, the selectivity of C₁ hydrogenation products can be facilely tuned. For instance, the maximum CO₂ conversion of ZnO-ZrO₂, Co₃O₄-ZrO₂, and CuO-ZrO₂ solid solutions were 5.8, 11.4, and 22.5%, with the main product selectivity of 70% CH₃OH, 92.5% CH₄, and 86.7% CO, respectively. Moreover, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra characterization reveals that the significant difference in C₁ product selectivity is mainly determined by the balance of *HCOO, *CH₃O, and *CO intermediate species over the Zr-based solid solutions.

Integration of Metal Nanoparticles into Metal-Organic Frameworks for Composite Catalysts: Design and Synthetic Strategy

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructed by periodically alternate metal ions with organic ligands, which offer structural diversity and a wide range of interesting properties as an attractive classification of crystalline porous materials. Integration of MOFs with other size-limited functional centers can supply new multifunctional composites, which exhibit both the properties of the components and new characteristics due to the combination of MOFs with the selected loadings. In recent years, integration of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) into MOFs to form the composite catalysts has attracted considerable attention due to the superior performance. In this review, the latest studies and up-to-date developments on the design and synthetic strategy of new MNP@MOF composite catalysts are specifically highlighted. Both the achievements and problems are evaluated and proposed, and the opportunities and challenges of MNP@MOF composite catalysts are discussed.

Spherical Sandwich Au@Pd@UIO-67/Pt@UIO- n ( n = 66, 67, 69) Core-Shell Catalysts: Zr-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Effectively Regulating the Reverse Water-Gas Shift Reaction

In this study, spherical sandwich Au@Pd@UIO-67/Pt@UIO- n ( n = 66, 67, 69) core-shell catalysts were assembled. Au nanoparticles (NPs) were used as the core for the epitaxial growth of Pd shells, and Au@Pd core-shell NPs were successfully encapsulated in the center of monodispersed Au@Pd@UIO-67 nanospheres. Pt NPs were fully fixed onto the nanosphere surfaces to obtain Au@Pd@UIO-67/Pt composites; further coating with UIO- n led to Au@Pd@UIO-67/Pt@UIO- n, in which Pt NPs are sandwiched between the Au@Pd@UIO-67 core and the UIO- n shell. The Au@Pd core-shell NPs efficiently controlled the morphology and structure of UIO-67 and enhanced the CO selectivity of the catalyst. Pt NPs increased the CO₂ conversion, and the UIO- n component effectively regulated the reverse water-gas shift reaction.

Hydrogen in Palladium and Storage Properties of Related Nanomaterials: Size, Shape, Alloying, and Metal-Organic Framework Coating Effects

One of the key issues for an upcoming hydrogen energy-based society is to develop highly efficient hydrogen-storage materials. Among the many hydrogen-storage materials reported, transition-metal hydrides can reversibly absorb and desorb hydrogen, and have thus attracted much interest from fundamental science to applications. In particular, the Pd-H system is a simple and classical metal-hydrogen system, providing a platform suitable for a thorough understanding of ways of controlling the hydrogen-storage properties of materials. By contrast, metal nanoparticles have been recently studied for hydrogen storage because of their unique properties and the degrees of freedom which cannot be observed in bulk, i. e., the size, shape, alloying, and surface coating. In this review, we overview the effects of such degrees of freedom on the hydrogen-storage properties of Pd-related nanomaterials, based on the fundamental science of bulk Pd-H. We shall show that sufficiently understanding the nature of the interaction between hydrogen and host materials enables us to control the hydrogen-storage properties though the electronic-structure control of materials.

Electronic structure benchmark calculations of inorganic and biochemical carboxylation reactions

Carboxylation reactions represent a very special class of chemical reactions that is characterized by the presence of a carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) molecule as reactive species within its global chemical equation. These reactions work as fundamental gear to accomplish the CO₂ fixation and thus to build up more complex molecules through different technological and biochemical processes. In this context, a correct description of the CO₂ electronic structure turns out to be crucial to study the chemical and electronic properties associated with this kind of reactions. Here, a systematic study of CO₂ electronic structure and its contribution to different carboxylation reaction electronic energies has been carried out by means of several high-level ab initio post-Hartree Fock (post-HF) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations for a set of biochemistry and inorganic systems. We have found that for a correct description of the CO₂ electronic correlation energy it is necessary to include post-CCSD(T) contributions (beyond the gold standard). These high-order excitations are required to properly describe the interactions of the four π-electrons associated with the two degenerated π-molecular orbitals of the CO₂ molecule. Likewise, our results show that in some reactions it is possible to obtain accurate reaction electronic energy values with computationally less demanding methods when the error in the electronic correlation energy compensates between reactants and products. Furthermore, the provided post-HF reference values allowed to validating different DFT exchange-correlation functionals combined with different basis sets for chemical reactions that are relevant in biochemical CO₂ fixing enzymes. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optimizing reaction paths for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation via metal-ligand cooperativity

As diversified reaction paths exist over practical catalysts towards CO₂ hydrogenation, it is highly desiderated to precisely control the reaction path for developing efficient catalysts. Herein, we report that the ensemble of Pt single atoms coordinated with oxygen atoms in MIL-101 (Pt₁@MIL) induces distinct reaction path to improve selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into methanol. Pt₁@MIL achieves the turnover frequency number of 117 h^-1 in DMF under 32 bar at 150 °C, which is 5.6 times that of Pt_n@MIL. Moreover, the selectivity for methanol is 90.3% over Pt₁@MIL, much higher than that (13.3%) over Pt_n@MIL with CO as the major product. According to mechanistic studies, CO₂ is hydrogenated into HCOO* as the intermediate for Pt₁@MIL, whereas COOH* serves as the intermediate for Pt_n@MIL. The unique reaction path over Pt₁@MIL not only lowers the activation energy for the enhanced catalytic activity, but also contributes to the high selectivity for methanol.