Water-promoted interfacial pathways in methane oxidation to methanol on a CeO 2 -Cu 2 O catalyst

A water boost for methanol synthesis Model catalysts based on metals and metal oxides can dissociate methane (CH 4 ) at room temperature, converting it directly to methanol (CH 3 OH). Liu et al. show that for one of these catalysts, an “inverted” CeO x -Cu 2 O oxide on Cu(111), water tunes the selectivity from forming CO and CO 2 to forming surface CH 3 O groups, as revealed by ambient-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Theoretical modeling showed that adsorbed water blocks O 2 dissociation and O 2 instead oxidizes the reduced catalyst. Hydroxyl groups from water generate the CH 3 O species from dissociated CH 4 , and water then goes on to form and displace CH 3 OH to the gas phase. Science , this issue p. 513