Understanding and Application of Strong Metal–Support Interactions in Conversion of CO2 to Methanol: A Review

Synthesis of methanol from CO2 hydrogenation is a highly attractive route for recycling greenhouse gases to produce clean and value-added fuels and chemicals, simultaneously mitigating the CO2 emission and obtaining useful feedstock. Heterogeneous catalysts have been the pillar for CO2 catalytic transformation. The strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) is of great importance for supported catalysts. In addition, the SMSI can be used to enhance the catalytic activity and selectivity to the desired product as well as the stability of the catalysts. Understanding the SMSI is the key to gain deep insights into the structure–activity relationship, which provides valuable guideline for rational design of highly efficient and selective catalysts for methanol synthesis from CO2 hydrogenation. In this review, we present an overview of the advances of CO2 reduction to methanol with focus on catalytic performance, structure characterization, and reaction mechanism for rational design of desired catalysts.