Research Advances on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials in COx Hydrogenation

Abstract

The excessive consumption of fossil fuels has resulted in massive carbon emissions and serious ecological and environmental crises. Therefore, achieving the efficient utilization of waste carbon sources is considered as an important pathway to addressing the aforementioned issues in the context of carbon neutrality. Developing and designing suitable catalyst materials has become the key to converting COx into valuable platform chemicals and value-added liquid fuels (e.g., CO, CH4, CH3OH, and C2+ hydrocarbons). A moderate interaction between nitrogen-doped carbon materials and active metals is more favorable for the progress of the COx hydrogenation reaction compared to traditional metal oxide carriers. In this work, we comprehensively summarize the synthesis methods of N-doped carbon materials and the relevant research progress in the field of COx hydrogenation. In addition, a general assessment of carbon-based catalysts for COx hydrogenation reactions, concerning the support and metal properties, the activity and product selectivity, and their interactions is systematically discussed. Finally, this review discusses the roles of N-doped carbon materials, the current challenges, and future development directions.