Reaction mechanism insights into CH4 catalytic oxidation on Pt13 cluster: A DFT study

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.

Methane Oxidation over the Zeolites-Based Catalysts

Zeolites have ordered pore structures, good spatial constraints, and superior hydrothermal stability. In addition, the active metal elements inside and outside the zeolite framework provide the porous material with adjustable acid–base property and good redox performance. Thus, zeolites-based catalysts are more and more widely used in chemical industries. Combining the advantages of zeolites and active metal components, the zeolites-based materials are used to catalyze the oxidation of methane to produce various products, such as carbon dioxide, methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, acetic acid, and etc. This multifunction, high selectivity, and good activity are the key factors that enable the zeolites-based catalysts to be used for methane activation and conversion. In this review article, we briefly introduce and discuss the effect of zeolite materials on the activation of C–H bonds in methane and the reaction mechanisms of complete methane oxidation and selective methane oxidation. Pd/zeolite is used for the complete oxidation of methane to carbon dioxide and water, and Fe- and Cu-zeolite catalysts are used for the partial oxidation of methane to methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, and etc. The prospects and challenges of zeolite-based catalysts in the future research work and practical applications are also envisioned. We hope that the outcome of this review can stimulate more researchers to develop more effective zeolite-based catalysts for the complete or selective oxidation of methane.