CO2 adsorption and activation on p-block catalyst Ga2O3
摘要
The fixation and conversion of CO2 from medium- and high-temperature industrial exhaust gases are scientifically important and challenging tasks owing to the harsh conditions required. Ga2O3, a stable p-block compound, is surprisingly active in the thermal conversion of hot CO2 waste gas, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated CO2 adsorption and activation across 11 different Ga2O3-terminated faces using density functional theory. Charge transfer and chemical bond analyses revealed the occurrence of two distinct activation mechanisms involving synchronous electron gain and loss, driven by a strong synergetic effect between Ga cations and O anions on the substrate surface. This Ga-O synergy enhances the CO2 activation efficiency compared with single active sites, with CO2δ+ cation more readily capturing H atom than CO2δ−. To the best of our knowledge, such a dual activation mechanism has not been reported before, particularly for p-block catalysts. Our findings provide new insights into the direct catalytic conversion of CO2 emissions and offer strategies for the rational design of industrial-grade catalysts for medium- and high-temperature CO2 tail gas conversion.