@article {48098, title = {Strain-enhanced phase transformation of iron oxide for higher alcohol production from CO2}, journal = {ACS Catalysis}, volume = {12}, year = {2022}, month = {SEP}, pages = {11118-11128}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Conversion of CO2 to higher alcohols (HAs) and higher hydrocarbons (HCs) has a greater advantage compared to C1 products because of their high energy density and wide range of applications in daily life. Despite the immense potential of these chemicals, not much of scientific research has been focused on the conversion of CO2 to HAs. In the present work, we have introduced the concept of strain in designing the material to enhance the CO(2 )to HA performance. We introduced strain in a traditional iron-based catalyst, Fe2O3, by the introduction of indium (In), which facilitates the selective conversion of CO2 to HA. An optimum strain favored a 36.7\% CO2 conversion with a 42\% HA selectivity, and a record yield of 15.42\%. The strain has been tuned further with the introduction of K as a promoter. The introduced strain upon In substitution and K promotion favored the conversion of CO2, which is mapped by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Further, the change in the mechanism upon In incorporation and K promotion has been probed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy, and it is found that the OCHx intermediate, which produces HAs, is more prominent upon In substitution, which favored the enhancement of HA production compared to that of pristine Fe2O3.

}, keywords = {CO2 to HA, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), Phase transformation, reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction, strain}, issn = {2155-5435}, doi = {10.1021/acscatal.2c0318311118}, author = {Goud, Devender and Churipard, Sathyapal R. and Bagchi, Debabrata and Singh, Ashutosh Kumar and Riyaz, Mohd and Vinod, C. P. and Peter, Sebastian C.} } @article {49695, title = {Dopant and exfoliation induced simultaneous modification of charge density and C--C coupling sites for efficient CO2 photoreduction to ethylene}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie-International Edition}, volume = {64}, year = {2025}, month = {JUL}, pages = {e202423471}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

The photochemical conversion of CO2 into C2+ products has emerged as an attractive method for synthesizing valuable chemicals and fuels using abundant solar energy. However, the challenge lies in enhancing the efficiency and selectivity of C2+ product formation. In this study, we employed a heteroatom doping strategy to optimize the photocatalytic parameters and achieve excellent efficiency and selectivity in the photocatalytic CO2 reduction to C2+ product formation. Our experimental analysis revealed that the local electronic structure of the catalyst, modified by In-doping, enables enhanced efficiency. Additionally, the incorporation of Cu facilitates the coupling of C1 intermediates, resulting in excellent selectivity towards C2+ products. The CO2 reduction performance is further enhanced through exfoliation, which increases the exposure of active sites and extends the charge carrier lifetime by reducing the charge diffusion length. We report that the rate of formation of C2H4 reached 54.3 mu molh(-1)g(-1) with an outstanding selectivity of 91\% over the exfoliated CuIn-doped AgBiP2S6 catalyst. By elucidating the role of heteroatom doping and exfoliation in enhancing both the efficiency and selectivity of C2+ product formation, our study contributes to advancing the development of sustainable and efficient photocatalytic CO2 conversion technologies.

}, keywords = {C \& horbar, C coupling, CO2 reduction, Doping, Exfoliation, Photocatalysis}, doi = {10.1002/anie.202423471}, author = {Das, Kousik and Chakraborty, Subhajit and Kediya, Siddhi and Singh, Ashutosh Kumar and Das, Risov and Mondal, Soumi and Riyaz, Mohd and Goud, Devender and Dutta, Nilutpal and Vinod, Chathakudath P. and Peter, Sebastian C.} } @article {49914, title = {Exploring the electronic modulation in controlling the activity and selectivity of Ni-Au-In based catalyst in atmospheric pressure CO2 hydrogenation}, journal = {Chemical Engineering Journal}, volume = {520}, year = {2025}, month = {SEP }, pages = {165921}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Nickel-based catalysts are widely used for the hydrogenation of CO2 but encounter stability challenges during prolonged reactions and at elevated temperatures. At atmospheric pressure, nickel primarily promotes methane formation in CO2 hydrogenation reactions. In this work, we demonstrate that the stability and activity of nickel can be significantly enhanced through gold (Au) modification. Furthermore, we achieve a near-complete selectivity switch from methane to CO by incorporating indium (In), mediated through the formation of Au-In alloy. This catalyst exhibits excellent CO2 conversion and CO selectivity at relatively lower temperatures (400 degrees C), addressing a major bottleneck in the Reverse Water-Gas Shifts (RWGS) reaction. XPS studies demonstrate an interesting electron transfer mechanism facilitated by gold, which involves the formation of electronrich Au species (Au delta-) and the development of Au-In alloys. This process improves the reducibility of nickel oxide while allowing a fraction of nickel to remain in its metallic form, managing a facile hydrogenation process and regulating the shift in selectivity from CH4 to CO.

}, keywords = {Alloy formation, Bimetallic catalyst, CO2 hydrogenation, RWGS, Selectivity switch, synergy, Trimetallic catalyst, XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy)}, issn = {1385-8947}, doi = {10.1016/j.cej.2025.165921}, author = {Bajpai, Jyotsna P. and Gupta, Sharad and Goud, Devender and Deka, Diku Raj and V. Jagtap, Anuradha and Kumar, Pawan and Ahamed, Momin and Peter, Sebastian C. and Vinod, C. P.} } @article {49534, title = {Metal deficiency tuned charge transfer in intermetallic Ni2-xSn (x =0.37-0.65) enhances selective conversion of furfural to furfuryl alcohol towards the theoretical limit}, journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry A}, volume = {13}, year = {2025}, month = {FEB}, pages = {6042-6048}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Heterogeneous catalysis facilitated by intermetallic nanoparticles has recently been the subject of increased scrutiny, given the enhanced selectivity and stability they bestow on many chemical reactions compared to their monometallic components. This paper explores a series of Ni-Sn (Ni2-xSn, where x = 0.65, 0.5, 0.37) intermetallic compounds supported on a high-surface-area support, SBA-15, as catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. Rietveld refinements of the X-ray diffraction data show catalysts with mixed intermetallic phases that assist in the catalysis. At the same time, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies and X-ray absorption studies indicate the role played by charge transfer from Sn to Ni for the catalysis. Selectivity to the desired furfuryl alcohol in all the intermetallic samples was high (\>97\%), but Ni1.35Sn had a relatively lower conversion than the other intermetallic compounds.

}, issn = {2050-7488}, doi = {10.1039/d4ta06383j}, author = {Cherevotan, Arjun and Singh, Ashutosh Kumar and Yadav, Anish and Maligal-Ganesh, Raghu V. and Raj, Jithu and Pulparambil, Anu and Goud, Devender and Vinod, Chathakudath P. and Peter, Sebastian C.} }