Highly active catalyst for CO₂ methanation derived from a metal organic framework template

Abstract

The conversion of CO₂ into chemicals of commercial interest is a rapidly expanding area of research. Here, we present a highly active and stable CO₂ methanation catalyst that is derived from a Ru-impregnated zirconium-based metal–organic framework (MOF) material. The Ru-doped MOF is transformed, under reaction conditions, into an active catalyst which yields CO₂ conversions of 96% and a CH₄ selectivity of 99%. We demonstrate that the final catalyst was composed of a mixture of Ru-nanoparticles supported on monoclinic and tetragonal ZrO₂ nanoparticles. Notably, such catalytic activity has only been achieved using the MOF templating strategy. Catalysts of the same composition were synthesized via different methods but were less active for CO₂ methanation.