Developed a nanocatalyst that converts greenhouse gases into hydrogen

A team of researchers led by Professor Gun-Tae Kim from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at

UNIST has developed a new method to improve the performance and stability of catalysts used in a reaction (e.g., dry methane reforming, DRM) that producesH2 and carbon monoxide (CO) from well-known greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4.

Conventional catalysts used for drymethane reforming, are metal complexes based on nickel (Ni). However, over time, their characteristics deteriorate, and with them the life of the catalyst itself. This is because carbon accumulates on the surface of the catalysts.

“Uniform and quantitatively controlled layeriron (Fe) through Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) promotes topotactic degradation by increasing fine nanoparticles, ”explains Sangwuk Joo, Ph.D. at UNIST School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, the first author of the study.

The new catalyst demonstrated highcatalytic activity for DRM process without noticeable degradation of performance for more than 410 hours of continuous operation. The experimental results also showed a high methane conversion (over 70%) at 700 ° C. "This is more than double the energy conversion efficiency of traditional electrode catalysts," said Professor Kim. "Overall, the abundance of nanocatalysts from atomic-layer deposition alloys marks an important step in the development of the decay process and its applications in the field of energy use."

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