Plasmonic Mg-based catalysts for low temperature sunlight-assisted CO2 activation (MgCatCO2Act)

二氧化碳（CO2）和甲烷（CH4）占二氧化碳当量温室气体排放总量的90%以上，使它们成为全球变暖的驱动因素，从而影响了当前的环境政策。为了达到环境目标，社会需要同时减少排放和吸收更多的温室气体。甲烷干重整（DRM）将CO2和CH4转化为H2和CO（合成气），是一种具有商业吸引力的方法，可以从包括工业和农业废弃物在内的丰富原料中生产合成气，同时捕获有害温室气体。然而，在DRM的情况下，依靠热驱动催化的传统方法存在高能量需求，这使得反应成本高且环境不可持续。在这里，我们建议在较低的温度下使用阳光辅助方法来驱动反应。Mg最近被发现是一种可持续的等离子体金属，与太阳光谱最匹配。我们最近的工作开创了催化活性等离子体纳米粒子的基础上廉价和地球丰富的镁，并证明了其优异的光增强催化性能，使镁成为理想的候选应用在阳光辅助的低温DRM。本提案的目的是探索从开创性的镁基催化活性等离子体纳米粒子研究到商业上可行的低温气相转化稳定分子的创新途径，使用DRM作为模型反应。为了实现这一雄心勃勃的目标，该项目将提高技术理解和能力，从而巩固目标市场，制定我们的商业战略，并与工业合作伙伴建立联系。这些成果将为实现将温室气体转化为高附加值化学材料的商业规模、可持续、低成本和低排放铺平道路。

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) account for over 90% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in CO2 equivalent, making them driving factors for global warming and consequently for shaping current environmental policies. To meet environmental targets, society needs to concurrently emit less and capture more greenhouse gases. Dry reforming of methane (DRM), where CO2 and CH4 are converted into H2 and CO (syngas), is a commercially attractive way to produce syngas from abundant feedstock including industrial and agricultural waste while capturing harmful greenhouse gases. However, in the case of DRM, conventional methods relying on thermally driven catalysis suffer from high energy requirements which render the reaction costly and environmentally unsustainable. Here, we propose to use a sunlight-assisted approach to drive the reaction at substantially lower temperatures. Mg has been recently discovered as a sustainable plasmonic metal with the best match to the solar spectrum. Our recent work pioneered catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles based on cheap and earth-abundant Mg and demonstrated their excellent light-enhanced catalytic performance, making Mg an ideal candidate for application in sunlight-assisted low-temperature DRM.The objective of this proposal is to explore the pathway from ground-breaking research on Mg-based catalytically active plasmonic nanoparticles towards commercially viable innovation in low temperature gas-phase transformation of stable molecules, using DRM as the model reaction. To achieve this ambitious goal, this project will advance the technical understanding and capabilities that will underpin the target market, develop our business strategy, and forge links with industrial partners. The outcomes will set the path towards commercial scale, sustainable, low-cost and low-emission conversion of greenhouse gases into high value-added chemical building blocks.