Defects Tune the Strong Metal–Support Interactions in Copper Supported on Defected Titanium Dioxide Catalysts for CO 2 Reduction

A highly active and stable Cu-based catalyst for CO2 to CO conversion was demonstrated by creating a strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) between Cu active sites and the TiO2-coated dendritic fibrous nano-silica (DFNS/TiO2) support. The DFNS/TiO2–Cu10 catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance with a CO productivity of 5350 mmol g–1 h–1 (i.e., 53,506 mmol gCu–1 h–1), surpassing that of almost all copper-based thermal catalysts, with 99.8% selectivity toward CO. Even after 200 h of reaction, the catalyst remained active. Moderate initial agglomeration and high dispersion of nanoparticles (NPs) due to SMSI made the catalysts stable. Electron energy loss spectroscopy confirmed the strong interactions…

• DO
  Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
• DO
  Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India

  Award: 12-R&D-TFR-RTI4003