Porous hollow structured CuIn bimetallic catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

CO 2 hydrogenation to valuable chemicals such as methanol is an environmentally friendly and economically viable strategy, which is important for alleviating the energy crisis and achieving carbon neutrality goals. In 2 O 3 catalysts are exciting due to their excellent methanol selectivity and catalytic stability. However, pure In 2 O 3 or conventional structured In 2 O 3 still has apparent defects such as low catalytic performance. Herein, porous hollow structured CuIn bimetallic catalysts were successfully synthesized by synchronous spray pyrolysis method and used for methanol formation through CO 2 hydrogenation. The impact of metal composition on the formation of CuIn bimetallic compounds, as well as the catalytic performance and other relevant characteristics were systematically studied. The results demonstrate that the bimetallic catalyst undergoes a notable physical phase change in response to alterations in the Cu:In molar ratio, resulting in the emergence of a Cu 11 In 9 phase. Furthermore, the synergistic interaction between Cu 11 In 9 and In 2 O 3 has a considerable promotion on the catalytic activity. As the Cu: In molar ratio reaches 1:2, the obtained catalyst exhibits optimal synergistic interactions between Cu 11 In 9 and In 2 O 3 , leading to the highest metal Cu dispersion, the largest active surface area , the greatest oxygen vacancy content, and the excellent CO 2 adsorption capacity. Therefore, the best catalytic activity is achieved on the Cu:In (1:2) catalyst, which owns great potential as a candidate for CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol. • Copper-indium (CuIn) bimetallic catalysts are synthesized through synchronous spray pyrolysis (SSP) method. • The addition of In to Cu-based catalysts obviously enhances the catalytic performance. • Excellent physicochemical property is obtained in the prepared copper-indium (CuIn) bimetallic sample. • An excellent catalytic performance for CO2 hydrogenation to CH3OH is achieved.