Cu/LaFeO3 as an efficient and stable catalyst for CO2 reduction: Exploring synergistic effect between Cu and LaFeO3

Cu-based catalysts, which are regarded as the most promising catalysts for CO2 conversion, suffer dramatic deactivation at high temperatures. In this work, LaFeO3, a typical perovskite-type oxide, is employed to disperse and stabilize Cu particles for the reverse water gas shift reaction. Compared to traditional Cu-based catalysts, Cu/LaFeO3 exhibits a higher conversion with 100% CO selectivity and better stability at 873 K. Structural and spectroscopic characterization including N2O chemisorption, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, in situ x-ray diffraction, and x-ray absorption fine structure show that metallic Cu is well dispersed on LaFeO3, forming more Cu-LaFeO3 interface. CO2 temperature-programmed surface reaction (CO2-TPSR), two-step transient surface reaction (two-step TSR), and transient in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transformed spectroscopy experiments demonstrate that the superior activity is attributed to the synergistic effect between the highly dispersed Cu particles for H-2 dissociation and the abundant oxygen vacancies in LaFeO3 support for CO2 activation. The synergistic effect between metal and perovskite-type oxide increases metal-support interfaces and enhances CO2 activation, leading to a potential application in a variety of chemical reactions.