An infrared study of the intermediates of methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide over Pd/-GaO

Abstract

Abstract The interaction of CO2 and H2/CO2 with pure β-Ga2O3 and Pd/β-Ga2O3 (1 wt% Pd) was studied by temperature-programmed reaction, between 323 K and 723 K at 0.1 MPa, using in situ FTIR spectroscopy. Under CO2(g), bicarbonate, bidentate, and polydentate carbonate species are formed over the surface of gallia at 323 K. When β-Ga2O3 is exposed to H2/CO2 only polydentate carbonate reacts with hydrogen, at T > 473 K (i.e., after the dissociative adsorption of H2 on gallia), to give bidentate and monodentate formate species (b-HCOO and m-HCOO, respectively) which are further hydrogenated to methoxy groups, just over 523 K. It is proposed that the addition of Pd to the oxide support only increases the hydrogenation rate of all the carbon-containing species bonded to the β-Ga2O3 surface, by spillover of atomic H from metallic Pd to gallia: (i) at 323 K (bi)carbonate groups are hydrogenated to m-HCOO and b-HCOO, and (ii) from 423 K upwards m-HCOO is further transformed to methoxy. A strong evidence of the interconversion between m-HCOO and b-HCOO was also found.