(461c) Polymer-Nanocrystal Composites As Tailorable CO2 Hydrogenation Catalysts

The future of humankind is tied to our collective use of
energy. Hydrocarbons are a proven energy vector and account for the bulk of our
energy infrastructure and feedstocks to the chemical industry.  Combustion of
fossil based hydrocarbons is unsustainable given finite reserves and the
concomitant release of greenhouse gases.  Hydrogenation of waste CO₂
back in to useful fuels and feedstocks provides a pathway to use fossil
resources in a sustainable way. The emerging technologies of photo and
electrochemical hydrogen generation can provide the hydrogen needed for CO₂
hydrogenation renewably.  However, a main issue is still in finding CO₂
hydrogenation catalysts that work at low temperature and that are selective
towards desirable compounds such as methanol.

In this study, we introduce a framework with which an
effective CO₂ hydrogenation catalyst may be designed. Microporous
polymers provide a tunable chemical environment into which monodisperse
Palladium nanocrystal catalysts are incorporated.  The synergy of the confinement
effect of these frameworks with well-defined metal nanoparticles affording
highly active hydrogenation sites provides a platform for catalyst study and
optimization under conditions outside the range of standard inorganic supports.
 Combining gas sorption and catalytic data provides insights into the potential
that organic supports have for carbon dioxide hydrogenation.