Catalytic Activation of Carbon Dioxide On Cerium Oxide for Conversion to Liquid Fuels

Rising atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and methane contribute to global warming. While sequestration would reduce these levels, turning the unwanted gases into valuable chemicals would close the carbon cycle. The direct conversion of carbon dioxide and methane to liquid fuels using an integrated nanocatalyst of platinum nanoparticles on a cerium oxide support is the focus of this research. Computer modeling will be used to predict the catalyst's behavior and design improved catalysts.

Preliminary results obtained using density functional theory calculations indicate strong chemisorption of methane onto platinum and weak physisorption of carbon dioxide onto stoichiometric ceria. Since other researchers have suggested that carbon dioxide will be strongly chemisorbed onto a reduced ceria surface, we anticipate that ceria would be a good candidate for activating carbon dioxide in the desired reaction.