Reaction-induced interface engineering of high-density In2O3-TiO2 oxide for modulating CO2 reduction intermediates

• Reaction-induced formation of high-density In 2 O 3 -TiO 2 interfaces. • Interface modulation enhances 33-fold RWGS performance. • Oxide interfaces facilitate formate formation. The gas-inducing strategy has proven highly effective in constructing high-density oxide interfaces. In this study, we utilized CO 2 hydrogenation reaction to induce the spontaneous dispersion of In 2 O 3 species on the surface of TiO 2 , forming numerous InO x /TiO 2 interfaces. The 2 %In 2 O 3 /TiO 2 catalyst demonstrated a 33-fold enhancement in reverse water-gas shift reaction (RWGS) performance after dispersion. Multi-technique characterization revealed that H 2 in the reactants reduced In 2 O 3 to partially reduced states (In +(3-x) ), which were more prone to migration. The spontaneous dispersion was not solely driven by the strong interaction (anchoring) ability of the support for In 2 O 3 species. Further mechanistic studies showed that the high-density InO x /TiO 2 interface formed via spontaneous dispersion significantly promoted the formation of formate species during CO 2 hydrogenation, which decomposed into CO at lower temperatures (297 °C), thereby improving catalytic performance. This work highlights the potential of atmosphere-induced structural evolution in catalysis, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive analysis of the activation, migration, and anchoring mechanisms, as well as the catalytic promotion principles of the induced structure.