Recent Progress on Utilising Visible Light to Better Catalyst Stability for the Dry Reforming of Methane

Abstract

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a promising strategy to closing the carbon loop. DRM valorises CO₂ and CH₄ by producing synthesis gas (H₂ and CO), the precursor to various synthetic fuels. Key limitations of the DRM are the high-temperature requirements (600-1000 °C) and competing side reactions, many of which produce carbon that can deactivate the catalyst. Designing a stable, low-cost and active catalyst remains one of the greatest DRM challenges. One potential strategy to curtail the limitations that hinder DRM is to utilise visible light to access the localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of metal catalysts. The current review discusses the recent developments in designing catalysts for LSPR-assisted thermocatalytic DRM. The thermodynamic and kinetic principles that underpin DRM are first introduced, followed by an overview of thermocatalyst design strategies. The mechanism behind LSPR is discussed, with recent developments and strategies for introducing LSPR to the DRM examined. The review offers a thorough overview of catalyst design for light-assisted DRM and may be used as a guide to developing stable and light-receptive catalysts for the reaction.

Keywords

Dry reforming of methane / Visible light / Carbon formation / LSPR / Catalyst deactivation / Stability

Author Contributions

G.E.P.O., E.C.L., J.S. and R.A. conceptualised the project. G.E.P.O. wrote the manuscript, and E.C.L. and J.S. edited and commented on the manuscript. All authors who contributed to this work discussed the results and declared no conflict of interest.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) (DE230100789, DP230101864 and IC200100023).

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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