Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2023, Vol. 53: 72-101.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64520-6

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Recent advances in the built-in electric-field-assisted photocatalytic dry reforming of methane

Yiming Leia,b, Jinhua Yec, Jordi García-Antónb,*(), Huimin Liua,*()   

  1. aSchool of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Liaoning University of Technology, Jinzhou 121001, Liaoning, China
    bDepartament de Química (Unitat de Química Inorgànica), Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
    cInternational Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044 Ibaraki, Japan
  • Received:2023-07-03 Accepted:2023-09-08 Online:2023-10-18 Published:2023-10-25
  • Contact: E-mail: iuhuimin08@tsinghua.org.cn (H. Liu), Jordi.GarciaAnton@uab.es (J. García-Antón).
  • About author:Jordi García-Antón received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2003 from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Then, he pursued a postdoctoral stay at the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination (Dr. Chaudret group; Toulouse, France), where his work dealt with the synthesis and characterization of metallic nanoparticles and the study of their surface coordination chemistry. In 2006, Dr. García‐Antón joined the UAB as a lecturer in chemistry, and in 2014 he became an associate professor. His research interest focuses on the preparation of metallic or metal‐oxide nanoparticles through the organometallic approach and their use as (photo)catalysts in artificial photosynthesis processes.
    Huimin Liu is a professor at Liaoning University of Technology in the School of Chemical and environmental engineering. She received her Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, China (2013), and then joined Kansai University (2013-2014), National Institute for Materials Science (2014-2017), and University of Sydney (2017) as a post-doctoral researcher. Her research interests are photochemistry, environmental chemistry, and heterogeneous catalyst design.
  • Supported by:
    The National Natural Science Foundation of China(21902116);Scientific Research Foundation of Technology Department of Liaoning Province of China(2022-MS-379);The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation(MICINN);The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation(PID2019-104171RB-I00);The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation(TED2021-129237B-I00);China Scholarship Council(CSC);China Scholarship Council(202206250016)

Abstract:

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are two major greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. The dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an ideal method for dealing with the greenhouse effect because it simultaneously consumes CH4 and CO2 to produce syngas. However, conventional technologies require high temperatures to trigger the DRM process owing to the high energy barriers associated with activating CH4 and CO2. While the development of photocatalysts provides opportunities for initiating the DRM under mild conditions, photocatalytic efficiency nonetheless remains unsatisfactory, which is largely attributable to rapid photoexcited charge-carrier recombination. A promising strategy for overcoming this deficiency involves constructing a built-in electric field that enhances the separation and transfer dynamics of charge carriers. This review introduces reaction mechanisms and thermal catalysts for DRM applications. The advantages of photocatalytic DRM (PDRM) and potential photocatalysts are also summarized. Recent advances have enhanced PDRM by introducing electric fields through the fabrication of photocatalysts that exhibit ferroelectric effects (ferroelectric-based photocatalysts), have heterojunction structures, or undergo localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In addition, significant advanced in-situ-characterization studies and theoretical calculations are introduced along with their potential impact to provide young researchers engaged in the PDRM field with simple guidance. Finally, current challenges facing the built-in electric-field-assisted PDRM field are discussed and possible strategies proposed to encourage more in-depth research in this area.

Key words: Photocatalytic dry reforming of methane, Built-in electric field, Ferroelectric materials, Heterojunction photocatalyst, Localized surface plasmon resonance effect