Recent advances in catalyst design for the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical conversion of methane to value-added products

Abstract

The potency and extensive presence of methane as a greenhouse gas accounts for a significant portion of global carbon emissions. This has spurred the development of systems to recycle methane to valuable liquid products for industrial use. However, traditional processing methods tend to require high temperatures and pressures to operate (which are often infeasible), as well as significant capital requirements. To mitigate these issues, electrocatalysis strategies have been developed to generate value-added products with low operating requirements. This mini-review surveys some of the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts and photoelectrocatalysts that operate under different reaction conditions. Furthermore, some of the mechanistic underpinnings of these reactions will be highlighted to suggest potential future improvements for the direct conversion of methane to value-added products.

Keywords

• Electrocatalysis
• Photoelectrochemistry
• Methane
• Nanostructured catalysts