Modulating the CO2 methanation over inverse ZrO2/Ni catalysts promoted with Y, La, Sr, and Pr

CO 2 methanation reaction is a promising approach for both CO 2 utilization and hydrogen storage, leveraging hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources to mitigate the energy crisis. Inverse ZrO₂/Ni catalysts promoted with Y, La, Sr, and Pr were synthesized and evaluated for CO₂ methanation. The impact of these promoters on the structure, properties, and catalytic performance of inverse ZrO₂/Ni catalyst was systematically investigated. A comprehensive suite of characterization techniques, including XRD, BET, H₂-TPR, CO₂-TPD, TEM, HRTEM, EDX-Mapping, and quasi in-situ XPS, was employed to elucidate the relationship between the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and their CO₂ methanation catalytic performance. 5Y65Zr/30Ni catalyst exhibited superior methanation activity compared with other catalysts, which was correlated with its enhanced specific surface area, a high concentration of medium basic sites facilitating CO₂ adsorption and activation, a high surface oxygen ratio, and optimal Ni dispersion achieved through minimized Ni crystallite size. These findings demonstrated that the strategic incorporation of promoters allowed for precise tailoring of inverse ZrO₂/Ni catalyst properties, providing valuable insights for the rational design of highly efficient CO₂ methanation catalysts. • Y, La, Sr, Pr promoted inverse ZrO₂/Ni catalysts for CO₂ methanation • Y increased CO 2 methanation activity of ZrO 2 /Ni catalyst • Y increased Ni dispersion, oxygen vacancy concentration, surface basicity of ZrO 2 /Ni catalyst • The synergistic effect of physicochemical properties optimized the catalytic performance