Low-temperature photocatalytic dry reforming of methane over porous cylindrical, gyroidal, and asymmetric catalyst structures

Recent advances in the photocatalytic activation of dry reforming of methane (DRM: CO ₂ + CH ₄ → 2CO + 2H ₂ ) at low temperature and ambient pressure have generated considerable interest as a promising route to convert greenhouse gases into valuable synthetic gas (syngas). While detailed studies have revealed the mechanisms involved in photocatalytic DRM at metal-semiconductor interfaces, less attention has been devoted to how high surface area semiconductor supports may enhance such conversions. Here we structure triblock terpolymer self-assembly directed sol-gel derived transition metal oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ or TiO ₂ ) supports of Rh-decorated photocatalysts into various equilibrium and non-equilibrium derived porous morphologies and show how they modulate single-pass conversion, total production rate, and material efficiency. Supported by in-depth materials characterization and flow simulations rationalizing observed trends, results reveal record catalyst performance. Our work suggests that asymmetric pore structures simultaneously optimizing mass transport and surface area may be well-suited to maximize photocatalyst performance.