Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol on CeOx/Cu(111) and ZnO/Cu(111) Catalysts: Role of the Metal-Oxide Interface and Importance of Ce3+ Sites

Abstract

The role of the interface between a metal and oxide (CeOx-Cu and ZnO-Cu) is critical to the production of methanol through the hydrogenation of CO2 (CO2 + 3H2 → CH3OH + H2O). The deposition of nanoparticles of CeOx or ZnO on Cu(111),oxi < 0.3 monolayer, produces highly active catalysts for methanol synthesis. The catalytic activity of these systems increases in the sequence: Cu(111)