Synergistic effect of Co0 with Cu11In9 intermetallic compound enhancing catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol is a critical technology for hydrogen energy conversion and a promising approach to mitigate the energy crisis and greenhouse effect. However, developing highly selective catalysts remains a major challenge for its practical application. Herein, we synthesize an efficient CoCuInO-r catalyst with Cu 11 In 9 and Co 0 dual sites on In 2 O 3 via a sol-gel method. The Cu 11 In 9 intermetallic compound enhances H 2 adsorption capacity and strength, and increases oxygen vacancy concentration on the catalyst surface, thereby improving CO 2 activation and hydrogenation efficiency. Meanwhile, Co 0 suppresses the desorption of the *CO species, facilitating its further hydrogenation to methanol. In-situ DRIFTS experiments indicate that the CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol over CoCuInO-r follows the formate pathway. Compared with CuInO-r (containing Cu 11 In 9 on In 2 O 3 ), CoCuInO-r exhibits a ∼20% increase in methanol selectivity and a 2-fold higher methanol space-time yield, reaching 7.68 mmol·g cat -1 ·h -1 at 300 °C and 4 MPa.