Supported Transition Metals for Catalytic Decomposition of Methane: Advances, Challenges, and Outlook

Methane pyrolysis represents a potentially cost-effective
approach
for CO2-free hydrogen production. This perspective comprehensively
summarizes the current state of methane pyrolysis, specifically compiling
carbon yields across a variety of metal–supported catalyst
families, i.e., Ni, Co, Fe, and other bimetallic compositions, for
comparison purposes. We further discuss carbon-growth mode and the
productivity differences observed between tip-growth and base-growth
systems based on existing data. Fundamental perspectives on methane
activation and carbon transport mechanisms are reviewed in Ni-based
systems and are further explored in Fe-based systems. Catalyst deactivation
is discussed with respect to two dominant causes: rate imbalances
in methane activation vs carbon diffusion and metal fragmentation.
The state of the carbon market is given along with emphasis on potential
challenges to identify suitable applications for carbon coproducts.
Best practices for catalyst productivity reporting are also discussed
to enhance comparability in future experimental studies.