Catalyst activated by light for steam methane reforming

The research from Rice University in Texas could also extend the lifetime of catalysts by improving efficiencies and reducing costs for industrial processes hindered by coking.

The new copper-rhodium photocatalyst features an antenna-reactor design that, when exposed to a specific wavelength of light, breaks down methane and water vapour without external heating into hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

In a statement, Peter Nordlander, Rice’s Wiess Chair and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, said: “This is one of our most impactful findings so far, because it offers an improved alternative to what is arguably the most important chemical reaction for modern society. We developed a completely new, much more sustainable way of doing SMR.”

Nordlander and Naomi Halas, Rice University Professor and the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are the corresponding authors on a study about the research published in Nature Catalysis.

The new SMR reaction leverages the 2011 discovery from the Halas and Nordlander labs at Rice that plasmons can emit ‘hot carriers’ or high-energy electrons and holes that can be used to drive chemical reactions.