(4mx) CO2 Conversion to Alcohols and Fuels By Thermo and Plasmocatalysis

Catalytic CO₂ conversion has emerged as an important strategy in achieving net-zero emissions and fostering a sustainable world. When combined with renewable H₂, CO₂ hydrogenation can sustainably store the energy and produce value-added chemicals such as methanol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, gasoline, and kerosene. The source of CO₂ for hydrogenation encompasses a variety of feedstocks such as industrial flue gases, atmospheric CO₂, and biogas, to name a few. Therefore, CO₂ hydrogenation is not only a potentially viable approach for renewable energy storage and carbon recycling but also a promising solution to enhancing energy security and decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels. However, as a relatively new topic in heterogeneous catalysis, there are challenges facing CO₂ hydrogenation and hindering its practical application. First, CO₂ is a highly stable molecule. Many CO₂ hydrogenation reactions are favored at elevated temperatures and pressures to boost the reaction kinetics. Moreover, most CO₂ hydrogenation reactions are exothermic, with bottlenecks in precise control of product selectivity. Therefore, many CO₂ hydrogenation reactions are both thermodynamically and kinetically limited. Therefore, thoughtful catalyst and reactor designs are of critical importance to overcome these barriers.

To facilitate efficient CO₂ hydrogenation reactions, my research spotlights two crucial aspects: (i) designing advanced nanocatalysts and (ii) developing new reaction processes. Ranging from freestanding/supported nanoparticles (NPs) to mixed metal oxides and monometallic to multicomponent nanocatalysts, my contribution to the field is to design catalysts for CO₂ utilization reactions (e.g. thermocatalytic CO₂ hydrogenation utilizing core-shell silica structures, silica-reinforced metal-organic frameworks, and silica-confined MoS₂) with high catalytic reactivity (activity, selectivity, stability) to facilitate higher reaction rates/kinetics, attenuated mass transfer or diffusion resistances, and overcome the inherently uphill reaction thermodynamics. In doing so, I will combine various design and synthesis techniques to tailor nanocatalysts’ shape, texture, matter, composition, density, porosity, hierarchy, surface, structure, size, and even the cost. To sum up, I am very particular on deciding architectural conceivability, materials selection, synthetic technique, and integration strategy during nanocatalyst development. I also leverage the expertise and knowhow I have gained from working on diverse CO₂-related catalytic reactions across various reactor systems. Although conventional thermocatalysis approach still holds great promise in chemical industry, I will be exploring emerging catalytic processes such as plasmocatalysis and liquid-metal catalysis, both of which are rising and poised to revolutionize the catalysis field. The ultimate goal of my research is thus to contribute to gaining deeper understanding, fostering the technological advancement, and opening up new opportunities in the field of CO₂ utilization and hydrogenation reactions, with a pressing focus on renewability of energy sources and feedstock, to address key challenges in mitigating global climate change and transitioning towards a sustainable society.

Teaching Interests:

I value teaching for its pedagogical role in inspiring students in their pursuit of knowledge. I have been actively participating in teaching and mentoring students during my Master’s, PhD, and Postdocs. My philosophy for teaching is that it should be student-centered and purpose-oriented while fostering conceptual understanding. Being a PhD alumnus of a Top-20 University worldwide, I gained first-hand knowledge on all aspects of catalysis research such as insights on future fuels, instrumental analysis, nanomaterials and nanocatalysts, advanced catalytic reactions, reactor engineering, and computational mathematics. I also put a great emphasis on the importance of learning and understanding advanced curricula including density functional theory, programming/coding languages (Matlab and Python), and specialty software (Aspen Plus). Having said that, I equip the next-gen students with the right and necessary skills as future-ready researchers and industry workforce.

Early Career Research Aims:

1. Researching thermo and plasmocatalysis to investigate state-of-the-art CO₂ hydrogenation to hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons
2. Investigating novel liquid-metal catalysis process for catalyzing CO₂ hydrogenation reactions
3. Developing ad hoc and specialty catalysts with respect to each process and reaction niche
4. Rational catalyst screening, catalyst characterization, reaction studies, and spectroscopy
5. Microkinetic modeling and reaction simulations

Research Summary:

1. Advanced Nanocatalyst Design and Synthesis: Silica-based materials (Stöber SiO₂ spheres, mesoporous SiO₂), hollow nanomaterials (hollow SiO₂, hollow metal silicates, hollow MOF-silica, hollow zeolites), zeolite materials (ZSM5, hollow ZSM5, SAPO-34), perovskites, layered double hydroxides (LDH), supported oxides.
2. Catalysis for CO₂ conversion: CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol and direct CO₂ hydrogenation to hydrocarbons (CO₂-modified Fischer-Tropsch reaction) by fixed-bed thermal and plasma microreactors.
3. Catalytic CH₄ conversion and pyrolysis: Thermocatalytic CH₄ conversion to hydrogen and solid carbon as well as plasma-assisted CH₄ pyrolysis.

Selected Publications:

1. Zhou, S.H., Kosari, M., and Zeng, H.C., 2024 “Boosting CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol over Monolayer MoS₂ Nanotubes by Creating More Strained Basal Planes”, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. XX, XXX, pp. XXX. doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c00781
2. Zhou, S.H., Ma. W., Kosari, M., Lim, A.M.H., Kozlov, S.M., and Zeng, H.C., 2024 “Highly Active Single-layer 2H-MoS₂ for CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol”, Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy, Vol. 349, p. 123870.
3. Zhou, S.H., Ma, W.R., Anjum, U., Kosari, M., Xi, S.B., Kozlov, S.M. and Zeng, H.C., 2024 “Strained Few-layer MoS₂ with Atomic Cu and Selectively Exposed In-plane Sulfur Vacancies for CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol”, Nature Communications, Vol. 14, 5872.
4. Kosari, M., Lee, K., Wang, C., Rimaz, S., Zhou, S., Hondo, E., Xi, S., Seayad, A.M., Zeng, H.C. and Borgna, A., 2023. Optimizing hollow ZSM-5 spheres (hZSM5) morphology and its intrinsic acidity for hydrogenation of CO₂ to DME with copper–aluminum. Chemical Engineering Journal, p.144196.
5. Wang, C., Kosari, M., Xi, S., Zeng, H.C. 2023 “Uniform Si‐Infused UiO‐66 as a Robust Catalyst Host for Efficient CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol.”, Advanced Functional Materials, 2212478.
6. Chen C., Kosari, M., Xi, S., Lim, A.M.H., He, C., Zeng, H.C. 2023 “Optimizing Interfacial Environment of Triphasic ZnO-Cu-ZrO₂ Confined inside Mesoporous Silica Spheres for Enhancing CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol”, ACS EST Engineering, Vol 3, page 638.
7. Kosari, M., Lim, A.M.H., Yu, S., Li, B., Kwok, K., Seayad, A.M., Borgna, A., and Zeng, H.C. 2023, “Thermocatalytic CO₂ Conversion by Siliceous Matter: A Review”, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 11 (2023) pp. 1593-1633.
8. Shao, Y., Kosari, M., Xi, S., and Zeng, H.C. 2022. Single Solid Precursor-Derived Three-Dimensional Nanowire Networks of CuZn-Silicate for CO₂Hydrogenation to Methanol, ACS Catalysis, Vol. 12, pp. 5750-5765.
9. Kosari, M., Askari, S., Seayad, A.M., Xi, S., Kawi, S., Borgna, A., Zeng, H.C. 2022. Strong coke-resistivity of spherical hollow Ni/SiO₂ catalysts with shell-confined high-content Ni nanoparticles for methane dry reforming with CO₂, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Vol. 310, p. 121360.
10. Kosari, M., Anjum, U., Xi, S., Lim, A.M., Seayad, A.M., Raj, E.A., Kozlov, S.M., Borgna, A. and Zeng, H.C., 2021. Revamping SiO₂ Spheres by Core–Shell Porosity Endowment to Construct a Mazelike Nanoreactor for Enhanced Catalysis in CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol. Advanced Functional Materials, 31(47), p.2102896.
11. Kosari, M., Borgna, A. and Zeng, H.C., 2020. Transformation of Stöber Silica Spheres to Hollow Nanocatalysts. ChemNanoMat, 6(6), pp.889-906.
12. Kosari, M., Golmohammadi, M., Towfighi, J. and Ahmadi, S.J., 2018. Decomposition of tributhyl phosphate at supercritical water oxidation conditions: Non-catalytic, catalytic, and kinetic reaction studies. The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 133, pp.103-113.
13. Kosari, M., Golmohammadi, M., Ahmadi, S.J., Towfighi, J. and Chenari, A.H., 2017. On the catalysis capability of transition metal oxide nanoparticles in upgrading of heavy petroleum residue by supercritical water. The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 126, pp.14-24.