(69f) Plasmonic Copper Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Dry Methane Reforming: Synthesis, Surface, and Performance

Synthesis gas, or Syngas, is in high demand for its wide variety of uses in electricity generation and as a common chemical feedstock. The most environmentally friendly production method is dry methane reforming (DMR) which produces Syngas by reacting methane with carbon dioxide; however, modern DMR requires extremely high temperatures, making it a prohibitively energy intensive procedure. Plasmonic metal nanostructures (PMNs) have garnered considerable research interest due to their potential for sustainable photocatalytic chemistry, with promising evidence supporting copper-based Antenna-Reactor PMNs specifically for photocatalytic DMR (pDMR). It has been widely reported that modifying synthesis methods affects the surface areas, morphologies, and dispersion of supported nanoparticles, and previous research indicates a direct link between such surface structure and the photocatalytic performance of the PMNs. To identify the synthesis-surface relationship, supported copper nanoparticles were synthesized via co-precipitation while systematically varying the Cu-precursor concentration with respect to different metal oxide supports. The samples were screened for Cu⁰ loading relative to single and mixed oxide phases through XRD, XPS, and further characterized via temperature-programmed desorption, reduction, and oxidation. The copper-based PMN samples and data were collected into a library complete for eventual comparative photocatalytic performance testing, with the purpose of determining the ideal range of characteristics for an optimal low-temperature, energy-efficient pDMR photocatalyst. The library data will be presented and the ongoing project addressing the research need to comprehensively compare how surface parameters affect pDMR activity will be described, including future work on photoreactor design for catalytic testing.