PdFe Alloy-Fe5C2 interfaces for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to higher alcohols

Direct CO 2 hydrogenation to higher alcohols (HA) is a promising route for high-value utilization of waste CO 2 , but developing active and stable catalysts remains a grand challenge. For this reaction, constructing multifunctional interfaces as active sites is required to fulfill controllable C-C coupling of alkyl and CO*/CH x O* species. Herein, we report a PdFe catalyst with abundant PdFe alloy-Fe 5 C 2 interfaces via a PdFe alloy induced FeO x carbidization process, which can achieve HA yield of 86.5 mg g cat −1 h −1 with 26.5% selectivity at 300 ºC, 5 MPa, and 6000 mL g cat −1 h −1 . The accelerated deactivation test unveils the PdFe catalyst exhibits better durability than the widely studied CuFe based catalysts against harsh conditions. Multiple in-situ characterization results unveil a synergetic mechanism for HA synthesis at the PdFe alloy-Fe 5 C 2 interfaces, where PdFe alloy is responsible for CO formation and non-dissociative activation, while Fe 5 C 2 phase promotes CO dissociation and chain propagation.