Ruthenium supported on zirconia–carbon nanocomposites derived by using UiO-66 for efficient photothermal catalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract

Resource utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an effective strategy to mitigate global warming and achieve carbon neutrality and peak carbon goals. It is well known that different preparation methods affect the catalytic performance of catalysts. Herein, we designed an efficient Ru–ZrO₂/C catalyst for photothermal catalytic CO₂ reduction by pretreating UiO-66 in a N₂ atmosphere and then loading Ru species. Compared to the reference sample of Ru/ZrO₂ obtained by calcining UiO-66 in an air atmosphere, Ru–ZrO₂/C exhibits much superior catalytic activity under full-spectrum light irradiation with a methane yield of 504.1 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and selectivity of 98.9%, respectively. In addition, the catalytic performance of Ru–ZrO₂/C for photothermal CO₂ methanation remains stable without obvious reduction in a 24 hour continuous test. The physicochemical characterization studies of Ru–ZrO₂/C determine that the remarkable heat resistance, effective light-heat conversion ability, abundant oxygen vacancies, low-valence Ru, and good CO₂ adsorption properties are responsible for the enhanced performance of photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation. This work expands the application of MOFs as precursors and provides an effective guide for designing highly efficient photothermal catalysts for solar fuel production.