Ni-Ga based catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol: an operando pair distribution function analysis study

The direct hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol plays a key role in a sustainable industry landscape, allowing to convert a major greenhouse gas into a valuable energy carrier. However, the development of selective and active catalysts for this process remains a challenging task. The goal of this proposal is to improve our understanding of the relationship between the structure and catalytic activity of Ni-Ga based catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol; allowing in turn for a rational catalyst design. Using operando pair distribution function (PDF) analysis we seek to gain atomic-to-nanoscale level insight into the structure of Ni-Ga/SiO2 catalysts under pre-treatment and working conditions.