PRECISELY CONTROLLED NANOMATERIALS TO CATALYZE THE TRANSFORMATION OF CO2 INTO FUELS AND PLATFORM MOLECULES: (ACRONYM: PRECINANOMAT) – PRECINANOMAT

The PRECINANOMAT project aims at developing new nanomaterials with a well-controlled three dimensional structure and constituted of supported metal nanoparticles to assess their catalytic performance towards the transformation of CO2 into fuels and platform molecules. The research methodology proposed will consist to explore different catalyst preparation strategies in order to find designing rules to provide highly efficient nano-sized catalytic systems for this important domain of catalysis. It intends to harness strong achievements in chemical engineering and nanotechnologies in order to synthesize and then deposit ultra-small and precisely-defined NPs of Ru, Ni and Cu and their bimetallic counterparts into well-controlled 3D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as supports, or to form nanoparticles in situ by direct decomposition of metal precursors in the presence of MOFs. Another synthetic strategy, more ambitious, will consist in the building of the MOF around preformed nanoparticles to encapsulate them in situ. The so-obtained NPs@3D-MOFs nanomaterials will be applied as integrated nanocatalysts in the selective hydrogenation of CO2 into formic acid and dimethyl ether via methanol. Catalysis engineering and mechanism studies should allow to establish relationships between structure and properties of the tested nanomaterials in order to enhance catalytic performances, including the stability and recycling aspects. Obtained breakthroughs should help to provide more sustainable methods for chemical production of fuels and high-value platform molecules from CO2 under mild reaction conditions. Drawing on strong research efforts in a collaboration between France and Singapore that brings together recognized and complementary expertises as well as on some preliminary results, this proposal should achieve some novelty and advancements in the development of efficient catalytic nanomaterials for the valorization of CO2 and beyond, contribute to meeting future energy and fine chemical needs via the conversion of a primary resource that is CO2.