Polyoxometalate-HKUST-1 composite derived nanostructured Na–Cu–Mo2C catalyst for efficient reverse water gas shift reaction

Abstract

Transforming CO₂ to CO via reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction is widely regarded as a promising technique for improving the efficiency and economics of CO₂ utilization processes. Moreover, it is also considered as a pathway towards e-fuels. Cu-oxide catalysts are widely explored for low-temperature RWGS reactions; nevertheless, they tend to deactivate significantly under applied reaction conditions due to the agglomeration of copper particles at elevated temperatures. Herein, we have synthesized homogeneously distributed Cu metallic nanoparticles supported on Mo₂C for the RWGS reaction by a unique approach of in situ carburization of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) using a Cu-based MOF i.e. HKUST-1 encapsulating molybdenum-based polyoxometalates. The newly derived Na–Cu–Mo₂C nanocomposite catalyst system exhibits excellent catalytic performance with a CO production rate of 3230.0 mmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ with 100% CO selectivity. Even after 250 h of a stability test, the catalyst remained active with more than 80% of its initial activity.