Support was the key to success

Abstract

Dry methane reforming, the conversion of carbon dioxide and methane (the two main gases responsible for global warming), into a useful feedstock for the production of materials is a process known since 1928. However, fast catalyst deactivation, due to the formation of carbon deposits on the surface of the catalyst, has since its discovery hampered industrial application of this key process. In a recent article in Science, Cafer Yavuz and colleagues reveal that the key to catalyst stability is in the use of a single-crystalline support.