Photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane: Recent progress and future

Photocatalytic Conversion of Methane to Ethane and Propane Using Cobalt-Cluster-Activated GaN Nanowires

The photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of methane (PNOCM) offers a promising route to synthesize valuable C2+ hydrocarbons while minimizing side reactions. Oxide-based photocatalysts have been predominant in this field, but suffering from limited conversion rates, selectivity, and durability due to poor C-C coupling as well as overoxidation of CH4 by lattice oxygen. Here, we introduce an advancement in PNOCM for methane conversion into ethane and propane using GaN, one of the most produced semiconductors, together with trace amounts of metallic cobalt clusters (0.1 wt %). The photocatalytic system exhibits outstanding stability, maintaining performance over 110 hours, achieving conversion rates of approximately 192.3 mmol g-1 h-1 for ethane and ~17.9 mmol g-1 h-1 for propane, with virtually no coke byproducts detected, representing the highest activity and stability ever reported to our knowledge. This high activity is attributed to the critical methane activation and C-C coupling on Co cluster, which can be greatly accelerated via the ultrafast photogenerated charge transfer from p-GaN to Co cluster. Additionally, the GaN support further synergistically enhances methane activation by in situ generating N-H and O-H species under reaction, as well as provides a vital anti-overoxidation effect to CH4 for high selectivity and stability.

High photocatalytic yield in the non-oxidative coupling of methane using a Pd-TiO2 nanomembrane gas flow-through reactor

The photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) is a highly challenging and sustainable reaction to produce H2 and C2+ hydrocarbons under ambient conditions using sunlight. However, there is a lack of knowledge, particularly on how to achieve high photocatalytic yield in continuous-flow reactors. To address this, we have developed a novel flow-through photocatalytic reactor for NOCM as an alternative to the conventionally used batch reactors. Me/TiO2 photocatalysts, where Me = Au, Ag and Pd, are developed, but only those based on Pd are active. Interestingly, the preparation method significantly impacts performance, going from inactive samples (prepared by wet impregnation) to highly active samples (prepared by strong electrostatic adsorption - SEA). These photocatalysts are deposited on a nanomembrane, and the loading effect, which determines productivity, selectivity, and stability, is also analysed. Transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) analysis reveals the involvement of holes and photoelectrons after charge separation on Pd/TiO2 (SEA) and their interaction with methane in ethane formation, reaching a production rate of about 1000 μmol g-1 h-1 and a selectivity of almost 95% after 5 hours of reaction. Stability tests involving 24 h of continuous irradiation are performed, showing changes in productivity and selectivity to ethane, ethylene and CO2. The effect of a mild oxidative treatment (80 °C) to extend the catalyst's lifetime is also reported.

Bimetallic Single Atom/Nanoparticle Ensemble for Efficient Photochemical Cascade Synthesis of Ethylene from Methane

Light-driven photoredox catalysis presents a promising approach for the activation and conversion of methane (CH4) into high value-added chemicals under ambient conditions. However, the high C-H bond dissociation energy of CH4 and the absence of well-defined C-H activation sites on catalysts significantly limit the highly efficient conversion of CH4 toward multicarbon (C2+) hydrocarbons, particularly ethylene (C2H4). Herein, we demonstrate a bimetallic design of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and Pd single atoms (SAs) on ZnO for the cascade conversion of CH4 into C2H4 with the highest production rate compared with previous works. Mechanistic studies reveal that the synergistic effect of Ag NPs and Pd SAs, upon effecting key bond-breaking and -forming events, lowers the overall energy barrier of the activation process of both CH4 and the resulting C2H6, constituting a truly synergistic catalytic system to facilitate the C2H4 generation. This work offers a novel perspective on the advancement of photocatalytic directional CH4 conversion toward high value-added C2+ hydrocarbons through the subtle design of bimetallic cascade catalyst strategy.

Unusual facet and co-catalyst effects in TiO2-based photocatalytic coupling of methane

Photocatalytic coupling of methane to ethane and ethylene (C2 compounds) offers a promising approach to utilizing the abundant methane resource. However, the state-of-the-art photocatalysts usually suffer from very limited C2 formation rates. Here, we report our discovery that the anatase TiO2 nanocrystals mainly exposing {101} facets, which are generally considered less active in photocatalysis, demonstrate surprisingly better performances than those exposing the high-energy {001} facet. The palladium co-catalyst plays a pivotal role and the Pd2+ site on co-catalyst accounts for the selective C2 formation. We unveil that the anatase {101} facet favors the formation of hydroxyl radicals in aqueous phase near the surface, where they activate methane molecules into methyl radicals, and the Pd2+ site participates in facilitating the adsorption and coupling of methyl radicals. This work provides a strategy to design efficient nanocatalysts for selective photocatalytic methane coupling by reaction-space separation to optimize heterogeneous-homogeneous reactions at solid-liquid interfaces.

Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Methane to Ethane and Hydrogen under Visible Light Using Functionalized Tungsten Trioxide Photoanodes with Proton Exchange Membrane

Developing methane utilization technologies is desired to convert abundant and renewable carbon resources, such as natural gas and biogas, into value-added chemical products. This study provides insights into emerging photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology for the photocatalytic transformation of methane to C2H6 and H2 using visible light at room temperature. The PEC conversion of methane to oxygenates has been investigated in aqueous electrolytes. Herein, we demonstrate the gas-phase PEC methane conversion using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) as a solid polymer electrolyte and a gas-diffusion photoanode for methane oxidation. Tungsten trioxide (WO3), a semiconductor photocatalyst responsive to visible light, is utilized as the photoanode material. Ultraviolet light (∼365 nm) excitation predominantly results in CO2 production with lower C2H6 selectivity in humidified methane. In contrast, visible light (∼453 nm) effectively promotes C2H6 production over the WO3 photoanode, attributed to preferential hydroxyl radical (•OH) formation compared to UV irradiation. Photogenerated holes formed near the valence band maximum of WO3 contribute to •OH formation through a single-electron water oxidation. The photogenerated •OH activates gaseous methane molecules to methyl radicals, subsequently coupled into C2H6 at the gas-electrolyte-semiconductor boundary. H2 is concurrently formed on the cathode electrocatalyst. Improving the selectivity for the dehydrogenative coupling of methane is pivotal for enhancing the energy efficiency in the PEM-PEC system.

Single-Atom Alloys Materials for CO2 and CH4 Catalytic Conversion

The catalytic conversion of greenhouse gases CH4 and CO2 constitutes an effective approach for alleviating the greenhouse effect and generating valuable chemical products. However, the intricate molecular characteristics characterized by high symmetry and bond energies, coupled with the complexity of associated reactions, pose challenges for conventional catalysts to attain high activity, product selectivity, and enduring stability. Single-atom alloys (SAAs) materials, distinguished by their tunable composition and unique electronic structures, confer versatile physicochemical properties and modulable functionalities. In recent years, SAAs materials demonstrate pronounced advantages and expansive prospects in catalytic conversion of CH4 and CO2. This review begins by introducing the challenges entailed in catalytic conversion of CH4 and CO2 and the advantages offered by SAAs. Subsequently, the intricacies of synthesis strategies employed for SAAs are presented and characterization techniques and methodologies are introduced. The subsequent section furnishes a meticulous and inclusive overview of research endeavors concerning SAAs in CO2 catalytic conversion, CH4 conversion, and synergy CH4 and CO2 conversion. The particular emphasis is directed toward scrutinizing the intricate mechanisms underlying the influence of SAAs on reaction activity and product selectivity. Finally, insights are presented on the development and future challenges of SAAs in CH4 and CO2 conversion reactions.

Photodriven Methane Conversion on Transition Metal Oxide Catalyst: Recent Progress and Prospects

Methane as the main component in natural gas is a promising chemical raw material for synthesizing value-added chemicals, but its harsh chemical conversion process often causes severe energy and environment concerns. Photocatalysis provides an attractive path to active and convert methane into various products under mild conditions with clean and sustainable solar energy, although many challenges remain at present. In this review, recent advances in photocatalytic methane conversion are systematically summarized. As the basis of methane conversion, the activation of methane is first elucidated from the structural basis and activation path of methane molecules. The study is committed to categorizing and elucidating the research progress and the laws of the intricate methane conversion reactions according to the target products, including photocatalytic methane partial oxidation, reforming, coupling, combustion, and functionalization. Advanced photocatalytic reactor designs are also designed to enrich the options and reliability of photocatalytic methane conversion performance evaluation. The challenges and prospects of photocatalytic methane conversion are also discussed, which in turn offers guidelines for methane-conversion-related photocatalyst exploration, reaction mechanism investigation, and advanced photoreactor design.

Photocatalytic Conversion of Methane: Current State of the Art, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

With 28-34 times the greenhouse effect of CO2 over a 100-year period, methane is regarded as the second largest contributor to global warming. Reducing methane emissions is a necessary measure to limit global warming to below 1.5 °C. Photocatalytic conversion of methane is a promising approach to alleviate the atmospheric methane concentrations due to its low energy consumption and environmentally friendly characteristics. Meanwhile, this conversion process can produce valuable chemicals and liquid fuels such as CH3OH, CH3CH2OH, C2H6, and C2H4, cutting down the dependence of chemical production on crude oil. However, the development of photocatalysts with a high methane conversion efficiency and product selectivity remains challenging. In this review, we overview recent advances in semiconductor-based photocatalysts for methane conversion and present catalyst design strategies, including morphology control, heteroatom doping, facet engineering, and cocatalysts modification. To gain a comprehensive understanding of photocatalytic methane conversion, the conversion pathways and mechanisms in these systems are analyzed in detail. Moreover, the role of electron scavengers in methane conversion performance is briefly discussed. Subsequently, we summarize the anthropogenic methane emission scenarios on earth and discuss the application potential of photocatalytic methane conversion. Finally, challenges and future directions for photocatalytic methane conversion are presented.

Current Progress on Methods and Technologies for Catalytic Methane Activation at Low Temperatures

Methane (CH4 ) is an attractive energy source and important greenhouse gas. Therefore, from the economic and environmental point of view, scientists are working hard to activate and convert CH4 into various products or less harmful gas at low-temperature. Although the inert nature of CH bonds requires high dissociation energy at high temperatures, the efforts of researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of catalysts to activate CH4 at low temperatures. In this review, the efficient catalysts designed to reduce the CH4 oxidation temperature and improve conversion efficiencies are described. First, noble metals and transition metal-based catalysts are summarized for activating CH4 in temperatures ranging from 50 to 500 °C. After that, the partial oxidation of CH4 at relatively low temperatures, including thermocatalysis in the liquid phase, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and nonthermal plasma technologies, is briefly discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are presented to provide a systematic guideline for designing and synthesizing the highly efficient catalysts in the complete/partial oxidation of CH4 at low temperatures.

The remarkable performance of a single iridium atom supported on hematite for methane activation: a density functional theory study

Methane is the major component of natural gas, and it significantly contributes to global warming. In this study, we investigated methane activation on the α-Fe2O3(110) surface and M/α-Fe2O3(110) surfaces (M = Ag, Ir, Cu, or Co) using the density-functional theory (DFT) + U method. Our study shows that the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110) surface is a more effective catalyst for C-H bond activation than other catalyst surfaces. We have applied electron density difference (EDD), density of states (DOS), and Bader charge calculations to confirm the cooperative CH⋯O and agostic interactions between CH4 and the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110) surface. To further modify the reactivity of the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110) surface towards methane activation, we conducted a study of the effect of oxygen vacancy (OV) on C-H activation and CH4 dehydrogenation. In the comparison of pristine α-Fe2O3(110), Ir/α-Fe2O3(110), and Ir/α-Fe2O3(110)-OV surfaces, the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110)-OV surface is the best in terms of CH4 adsorption energy and C-H bond elongation, whereas the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110) surface catalyst has the lowest C-H bond activation barrier for the CH4 molecule. The calculations indicate that the Ir/α-Fe2O3(110)-OV surface could be a candidate catalyst for CH4 dehydrogenation reactions.

Methane Conversion Under Mild Conditions Using Semiconductors and Metal-Semiconductors as Heterogeneous Photocatalysts: State of the Art and Challenges

The processes currently used in the chemical industry for methane conversion into fuels and chemicals operate under extreme conditions like high temperatures and pressures. In this sense, the search for methane conversion under mild conditions remains a great challenge. This review aims to summarize the use semiconductors and metal-semiconductors as heterogeneous photocatalysts for methane conversion under mild conditions into valuable products. First, a brief presentation of photochemical conversion of methane is provided and then the focus of this review on the use of heterogeneous photocatalysts for methane conversion are described. Finally, the main challenges and opportunities are discussed.