Synergy of typical clay minerals and plasma discharge for CO ₂ conversion

Abstract Hydrogenation of CO 2 into high-value carbon-containing compounds can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These plasma-catalysed systems offer convenient reactions under mild conditions, and, combined with their widely distributed, low-cost clay minerals, they can effectively reduce reaction costs and promote their further industrial application. However, research on their synergistic applications remains limited at present. In this work, we propose a model for synergistic catalytic CO 2 conversion by coupling clay minerals and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The synergistic effects of eight typical clay minerals on CO 2 conversion and CO selectivity catalysed by DBD and their influencing factors were explored through a combination of performance tests and characterization using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Based on the performance and characterization results, minerals exhibiting a two-dimensional tubular structure, increased surface hydroxyl groups, appropriate transition metal active components and low water contents demonstrate greater CO 2 conversion rates and CO selectivity. This work demonstrates that clay minerals can be used as effective DBD catalysts and represent low-cost green catalysts for the DBD catalytic system. This is of great significance for the rapid screening of clay minerals that are favourable for CO 2 catalytic reactions and their further modification and application.