Oxygen Vacancy-Rich In 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 Catalysts Synthesized via DBD Plasma for Enhanced CO 2 -to-CO conversion

Abstract

The efficient utilization of CO₂ as a carbon feedstock is vital for achieving carbon neutrality while enabling sustainable production of C 1 chemicals. Plasma-assisted catalytic conversion has emerged as a promising strategy under mild conditions, yet its progress is limited by the lack of highly active and plasma-tolerant catalysts. In this work, In 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 composite catalysts were prepared by chemical precipitation and further modified via dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The In-Zr (1:1) catalyst exhibited the best performance, reaching a CO₂ conversion of 26.3 % and CO selectivity above 90 % at an SIE of 104 kJ/L. Compared with pure In 2 O 3 , the composite showed markedly improved thermal stability, sustaining continuous operation for 450 min, three times longer than In 2 O 3 . Plasma modification induced a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies (1.69 × 10 13 spins/g), increased surface area (56.7 m 2 /g), and a narrowed bandgap (2.49 eV), which synergistically enhanced catalytic activity.Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations further revealed that the strong plasmacatalyst interaction facilitates CO 2 activation pathways. This study demonstrates not only the durability of In-Zr composites but also highlights plasma modification as an effective strategy to design next-generation catalysts for plasma-assisted CO 2 utilization.