Strategic integration of yttrium single atoms on CeO2 supported nickel catalysts for enhanced CO2 methanation catalysis

Abstract

We report the synthesis of a high-performance CO<inf>2</inf> methanation catalyst, Ni-Y<inf>1</inf>/CeO<inf>2</inf>, comprising Ni nanoparticles and atomically dispersed Y3 + on a ceria support. This precisely designed catalyst achieved an outstanding CO<inf>2</inf> conversion of 83 % with 100 % CH<inf>4</inf> selectivity at 350 °C. XAS unambiguously confirmed the atomic dispersion of Y3+ with the absence of any Y-Y bonds, while STEM-EDS revealed uniform Y distribution with finely dispersed Ni NPs. Enhanced oxygen vacancies and improved basic sites contributed to the superior activity of Ni-Y<inf>1</inf>/CeO<inf>2</inf> even at low temperature (250–300 °C) and showed excellent stability over 40 h. Comparative studies with impregnated NiY/CeO<inf>2</inf>-imp and Ni/CeO<inf>2</inf> highlighted the synergistic effect of Y3+ and Ni. These results establish Y3+ single-atom modulation as a powerful approach to tailoring basic sites and enhanced oxygen vacancies, unlocking new design pathways for advanced CO<inf>2</inf> methanation catalysts. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.