Hollow Carbon Spheres Encapsulating Metal Nanoparticles for CO2 Hydrogenation Reactions

Abstract

Heterogeneous CO2 hydrogenation reactions are of great importance for reducing the greenhouse effect and easing the energy crisis, but still face the challenges of high activity and long-term stability. To improve the catalytic performance, many CO2 hydrogenation reactions utilize special metal nanoparticles confined within hollow carbon sphere (M(metal)@HCS) yolk-shell structure nanoreactors with unique architectures and advantageous properties. This chapter presents developmental and technological challenges in the preparation of M@HCS that are potentially useful for CO2 hydrogenation reactions and provides a summary of the properties of these materials. This chapter also addresses the scientific challenges in applications of these M(metal)@HCS in liquid- and gas-phase CO2 hydrogenation reactions. The catalyst structure, catalytic performance, and reaction mechanisms are also discussed. Finally, a brief outlook and challenges for future research in this field are presented. The advancements in M@HCS might inspire the creation of new materials with desired structures for achieving maximal CO2 hydrogenation performance.