Cr2O3 Promoted In2O3 Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Abstract Cr 2 O 3 was applied to study the modification of In 2 O 3 based catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol reaction. Combined with X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc., the structure of the catalysts was characterized. The reaction performances for CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol were evaluated on a stainless‐steel fix‐bed reactor. The results showed that solid solutions were formed for the Cr 2 O 3 promoted In 2 O 3 catalysts. The important role of electronic interaction between Cr 2 O 3 and In 2 O 3 was revealed in the hydrogenation reaction. In 1.25 Cr 0.75 O 3 sample exhibited the highest methanol yield, which was 2.8 times higher than that of pure In 2 O 3 . No deactivation was observed for In 1.25 Cr 0.75 O 3 sample during the 50 hours of reaction. The improved catalytic performance may be due to the formation of the solid solutions and the highest amount of oxygen vacancies.