Electrospun Fe–Al–O Nanobelts for Selective CO₂ Hydrogenation to Light Olefins

Ceramic nanobelt catalysts consisting of Fe–Al–O spinel modified with potassium were synthesized for CO2 hydrogenation into hydrocarbons. Nanobelts and hollow nanofibers were produced utilizing the internal heat released by oxidation of the organic component within the fibers. This extremely fast and short heating facilitated crystallization of the desired phase, while maintaining small grains and a large surface area. We investigated the effects of mat thickness, composition, and heating rate on the final morphology. A general transformation mechanism for electrospun nanofibers that correlates for the first time the mat’s thickness and the rate of oxidation during thermal treatment was proposed. The catalytic performance of carburized ceramic K/Fe–Al–O nanobelts was compared to the K/Fe–Al–O spinel powder. The electrospun catalyst showed a superior carbon dioxide conversion of 48% and a selectivity of 52% to light C2–C5 olefins, while the powder catalyst produced mainly C6+ hydrocarbons. Characterization of steady state catalytic materials by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and N2-adsorption methods revealed that high olefin selectivity of the electrospun materials is related to a high extent of reduction of surface iron atoms because of more efficient interaction with the potassium promoter.