Ternary Schottky-p-n heterojunction strategy for enhancing photothermal dry reforming of methane
Qingqing Zhang, Ziyu Chen, Yutao Ye, Chang Xu, Cong Liu, Xiaoming Cao, Jinlong Zhang, Juying Lei, Ziwei Ye, Lingzhi Wang
Abstract
Breaking the trade-off between activity and stability in catalysts for dry reforming of methane has long remained a huge challenge. Here, we demonstrate a ternary Schottky-p-n (TSPN) heterojunction strategy based on Ni-NiO-Sr 2 Nb 2 O 7 (NiO x /SNO) for photothermal dry reforming of methane. This approach achieves a stable syngas production rate of 10.54 moles per gram per hour, with a light-to-fuel efficiency of 28.3% and a CH 4 turnover frequency of 18 per second at 500°C generated by concentrated light irradiation. This low-temperature, high-rate activity benefits from the photoaccelerated CH 4 -to-H 2 process facilitated by the synergistic effect of NiO and Ni 0 . Furthermore, the light-induced spatial separation of dual reduction sites for CO 2 reduction (SNO) and H 2 evolution (Ni 0 ) suppresses the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction, ensuring continuous supply of active oxygen and improving reaction stability. This finding is expected to substantially promote low-temperature photothermal catalytic technology in enhancing the selective conversion efficiency of C 1 molecules.