Exploring the ternary interactions in Cu–ZnO–ZrO2 catalysts for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

The synergistic interaction among different components in complex catalysts is one of the crucial factors in determining catalytic performance. Here we report the interactions among the three components in controlling the catalytic performance of Cu–ZnO–ZrO2 (CZZ) catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) measurements under the activity test pressure (3 MPa) reveal that the CO2 hydrogenation to methanol on the CZZ catalysts follows the formate pathway. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations agree with the in situ DRIFTS measurements, showing that the ZnO–ZrO2 interfaces are the active sites for CO2 adsorption and conversion, while the presence of metallic Cu is also necessary to facilitate H2 dissociation and to provide hydrogen resource. The combined experiment and DFT results reveal that tuning the interaction between ZnO and ZrO2 can be considered as another important factor for designing high performance catalysts for methanol generation from CO2. Despite great efforts, the reaction mechanism of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol and the nature of the active sites on Cu–ZnO–ZrO2 (CZZ) catalysts are still under debate. Herein, the authors report the interactions among the three components in controlling the catalytic performance of CZZ catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.