Spark Ablation: a dry, physical, and continuous method to prepare powdery metal nanoparticle-based catalysts†

Abstract

We report the first synthesis of a powdery heterogeneous catalyst using spark ablation technology. A TiO2 powder is aerosolized in a vortex and injected close to the electrode of a spark ablation nanoparticles generator, to be decorated with Ni nanoparticles. The resulting Ni/TiO2 catalyst is readily active in the hydrogenation of CO2 to methane.