CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol over Mesoporous SiO2-Coated Cu-Based Catalysts

Abstract

Although chemical promotion led to essential improvements in Cu-based catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, surpassing structural limitations such as active phase aggregation under reaction conditions remains challenging. In this report, we improved the textural properties of Cu/In₂O₃/CeO₂ and Cu/In₂O₃/ZrO₂ catalysts by coating the nanoparticles with a mesoporous SiO₂ shell. This strategy limited particle size up to 3.5 nm, increasing metal dispersion and widening the metal–metal oxide interface region. Chemometric analysis revealed that these structures could maintain high activity and selectivity in a wide range of reaction conditions, with methanol space-time yields up to 4 times higher than those of the uncoated catalysts.