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Amano F, Suzuki S, Tsushiro K, Ito J, Naito T, Kubota H. Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Methane to Ethane and Hydrogen under Visible Light Using Functionalized Tungsten Trioxide Photoanodes with Proton Exchange Membrane. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024. [PMID: 38698546 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Developing methane utilization technologies is desired to convert abundant and renewable carbon resources, such as natural gas and biogas, into value-added chemical products. This study provides insights into emerging photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology for the photocatalytic transformation of methane to C2H6 and H2 using visible light at room temperature. The PEC conversion of methane to oxygenates has been investigated in aqueous electrolytes. Herein, we demonstrate the gas-phase PEC methane conversion using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) as a solid polymer electrolyte and a gas-diffusion photoanode for methane oxidation. Tungsten trioxide (WO3), a semiconductor photocatalyst responsive to visible light, is utilized as the photoanode material. Ultraviolet light (∼365 nm) excitation predominantly results in CO2 production with lower C2H6 selectivity in humidified methane. In contrast, visible light (∼453 nm) effectively promotes C2H6 production over the WO3 photoanode, attributed to preferential hydroxyl radical (•OH) formation compared to UV irradiation. Photogenerated holes formed near the valence band maximum of WO3 contribute to •OH formation through a single-electron water oxidation. The photogenerated •OH activates gaseous methane molecules to methyl radicals, subsequently coupled into C2H6 at the gas-electrolyte-semiconductor boundary. H2 is concurrently formed on the cathode electrocatalyst. Improving the selectivity for the dehydrogenative coupling of methane is pivotal for enhancing the energy efficiency in the PEM-PEC system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Amano
- Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Souta Suzuki
- Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tsushiro
- Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
| | - Junji Ito
- Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Research Division, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Naito
- Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Research Division, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kubota
- Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Research Division, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 1 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan
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Nie S, Wu L, Wang X. Electron-Delocalization-Stabilized Photoelectrocatalytic Coupling of Methane by NiO-Polyoxometalate Sub-1 nm Heterostructures. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:23681-23690. [PMID: 37861371 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The oxidative coupling of methane to C2 oxygenates merits great scientific and technological potential yet remains a challenge due to its inferior selectivity. Subnanomaterials (SNMs) with "p-n-p-n"-type heteroconstructions feature enhanced external field coupling properties and tunable electronic structures, serving as promising catalysts for the selective partial oxidation of methane. Here we develop NiO-polyoxometalate (POM) subnanocoils with a thickness of 1.8 nm, showing excellent catalytic activity toward photoelectrochemical coupling of methane into a C2 product under mild conditions (1 bar, 25 °C) with a notable productivity (up to 4.48 mmol gcat-1 h-1) and a high selectivity (>99%). Under photoelectrochemical coupling, C-H bonds can be activated by NiO, and the resulted *COOH intermediates are stabilized by the delocalized electrons in POM clusters. The contiguous active sites of NiO and POM at the molecular level allow the in situ coupling of *COOH into oxalate. This work points out an economic way for the oxidation of methane under mild conditions and may enlighten the design of functional SNMs from fundamental standpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyang Nie
- Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Liang Wu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xun Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Almithn A, Alghanim SN, Mohammed AA, Alghawinim AK, Alomaireen MA, Alhulaybi Z, Hossain SS. Methane Activation and Coupling Pathways on Ni2P Catalyst. Catalysts 2023; 13:531. [DOI: 10.3390/catal13030531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The direct catalytic conversion of methane (CH4) to higher hydrocarbons has attracted considerable attention in recent years because of the increasing supply of natural gas. Efficient and selective catalytic conversion of methane to value-added products, however, remains a major challenge. Recent studies have shown that the incorporation of phosphorus atoms in transition metals improves their selectivity and resistance to coke formation for many catalytic reactions. In this work, we report a density function theory-based investigation of methane activation and C2 product formation on Ni2P(001). Our results indicate that, despite the lower reactivity of Ni2P relative to Ni, the addition of phosphorus atoms hinders excessive dehydrogenation of methane to CH* and C* species, thus reducing carbon deposition on the surface. CH3* and CH2* moieties, instead, are more likely to be the most abundant surface intermediates once the initial C–H bond in methane is activated with a barrier of 246 kJ mol−1. The formation of ethylene from 2CH2* on Ni2P is facile with a barrier of 56 kJ mol−1, which is consistent with prior experimental studies. Collectively, these findings suggest that Ni2P may be an attractive catalyst for selective methane conversion to ethylene.
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Zhang J, Wang Y, Wang Y, Bai Y, Feng X, Zhu J, Lu X, Mu L, Ming T, de Richter R, Li W. Solar Driven Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation Processes for Methane Removal - Challenges and Perspectives. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202201984. [PMID: 35973964 PMCID: PMC9826430 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Methane (CH4 ) is a potent greenhouse gas and the second highest contributor to global warming. CH4 emissions are still growing at an alarmingly high pace. To limit global warming to 1.5 °C, one of the most effective strategies is to reduce rapidly the CH4 emissions by developing large-scale methane removal methods. The purpose of this perspective paper is threefold. (1) To highlight the technology gap dealing with low concentration CH4 (at many emission sources and in the atmosphere). (2) To analyze the challenges and prospects of solar-driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes for CH4 removal. And (3) to propose some ideas, which may help to develop solar-driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes and make them deployable at a climate significant scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Yuyin Wang
- Institute for Materials and ProcessesSchool of EngineeringThe University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Yun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Yang Bai
- Institute for Materials and ProcessesSchool of EngineeringThe University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Xin Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Jiahua Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Xiaohua Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Liwen Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical EngineeringCollege of Chemical EngineeringNanjing Tech UniversityNanjing210009P. R. China
| | - Tingzhen Ming
- School of Civil Engineering and ArchitectureWuhan University of TechnologyWuhan430070P. R. China
| | | | - Wei Li
- Institute for Materials and ProcessesSchool of EngineeringThe University of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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