Publication date: 22nd July 2026
The development of stable and efficient catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol is essential for advancing carbon recycling technologies. In this work, catalysts were synthesized via an exsolution approach from CuZnAl₂O₄ spinel precursors and benchmarked against a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The materials were prepared by modified co-precipitation method and subjected to controlled reduction (350–550 °C) for 10 hours to induce nanoparticle exsolution.
Characterization techniques including XRD, TEM, CO₂-TPD, and XPS confirmed the formation of well-dispersed, socketed metallic nanoparticles. Reduction conditions influenced nanoparticle distribution and size. Higher temperatures favored larger monometallic Cu nanoparticles, while intermediate temperatures promoted CuZn alloy formation. These structural features enabled improved metal–support interaction and resistance to sintering and deactivation.
Catalytic testing (200–300 °C, 23 barg, H₂/CO₂ = 3) showed CO₂ conversion up to ~13% and methanol selectivity up to ~80% at lower temperatures. Dimethyl ether formation indicated tandem reaction pathways. Compared to the commercial catalyst, exsolved catalysts exhibited higher copper-normalized activity and superior structural stability, with no significant sintering after ~50 h on stream.
These results demonstrate that exsolution-derived Cu-based catalysts are promising candidates for stable and efficient CO₂ to methanol conversion.
This project has received funding from the EU HORIZON EUROPE research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No: 101063146 (MEXCAT)
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