Plasma deposited novel nanocatalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methane

Abstract The catalytic hydrogenation of CO 2 to methane has been receiving an increasing attention as a method to mitigate the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere through the production of synthetic natural gas. Finding the effective catalyst is the key factor to make this process feasible. In the present work, hydrogenation of CO 2 into CH 4 over novel metal oxide nanocatalysts supported on wire gauzes made from kanthal steel (FeCrAl) has been studied. The series of thin films of active phase were prepared by plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PEMOCVD), containing cobalt spinel (Co 3 O 4 ), ruthenium oxide (RuO 2 ), mixed oxides (RuO 2/ Co 3 O 4 ) and iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ). The activity of the prepared nanocatalysts was tested in the gradientless reactor in the temperature range of 150–500 °C. The RuO 2 catalyst revealed the highest both the yield of methane and the reaction rate, while the Fe 2 O 3 catalyst promoted the CO production through reverse water-gas shift reaction. The results of the present studies are the foundation for further research on a new class of nanomaterials with high catalytic properties for the methanation reaction.