Understanding Structure Sensitivity on the Ni-Ga System for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol: An Operando Difference PDF Study

The goal of this study is to identify structural descriptors for the catalytic performance of very small (1-2 nm) silica supported, Ni-Ga nanoparticles for the CO2 hydrogenation to CH3OH. Supported nanoparticles of small size (up to a few nanometers in diameter) feature different surface sites than their larger counterparts, leading to a distinct catalytic behaviour of such materials. To probe the structure of the NixGay/SiO2 catalysts under reaction conditions and elucidate the origin of their favourable catalytic properties, we will use operando X-ray total scattering. The identification of structural similarities and differences with materials of larger particle size, will be key to advance our understanding of Ni-Ga based alloys and intermetallics for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.