Add heat to MOFs for highly selective catalysts

This is the claim of researchers in Saudi Arabia and Spain whose novel approach to making catalysts involves heating bimetallic metal organic frameworks (MOFs) until their porous structure collapses into nanoparticles.

KAUST catalyst promises sustainable CO2 conversion

The benefit of this method pioneered at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia) is that it can generate mixed metal catalytic nanoparticles that have proven challenging or impossible to make by conventional means.

Capturing CO₂ emissions and catalytically converting the greenhouse gas into CO, a valuable chemical feedstock, is one option for reducing greenhouse gases associated with climate change. Precious metals can catalyse this reaction, but they are costly and supplies are limited, said Samy Ould-Chikh, a research engineer in KAUST.

“Iron oxide catalysts are an inexpensive alternative,” Ould-Chikh said in a statement. “However, in the presence of CO, the iron is carburised forming iron carbide, which leads to by-product formation and catalyst deactivation.”