Modulation strategy and effect of metal-support interaction over catalysts for carbon dioxide methanation

• Recent progress of metal-support interaction (MSI) in CO2 methanation catalysts. • Activity increases by up to 25 times in a CO2 methanation catalyst due to MSI. • Tuning chemical composition of the catalyst support is essential to modulate MSI. • Primary goal is to modulate electron transfer between metal particle and support. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) methanation is an essential technology for addressing global challenges such as sustainable energy storage, space exploration, and the reduction of CO 2 emission. This technology has attracted broad attention in recent years. To really implement the CO 2 methanation process, it is crucial to design stable and highly effective catalysts. The activity and selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts can be efficiently tuned by controlling the metal-support interaction, and this strategy has been widely used in the catalyst design for CO 2 methanation. In fact, the catalytic activity can be enhanced by up to ∼25 times in a CO 2 methanation catalyst due to metal-support interaction. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on metal-support interaction in heterogeneous catalysts for CO 2 methanation. At first, we will systemically discuss the effect of metal-support interaction in CO 2 methanation catalysts, followed by a detailed introduction to its modulation strategy. Through quantitative analysis, we will point out changing chemical composition of catalyst support is the most efficient method to enhance the catalytic performance, and the primary goal of catalyst design is the modulation of electron transfer between metal particles and the support. We will also sketch the potential research direction of this promising field.