Exploring the Fundamentals of Catalyst Development in Non-Thermal Plasma CO₂ Hydrogenation for Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are crucial for achieving GHG emission reduction targets by 2050. The SAF Grand Challenge in the US aims to produce 35 billion gallons of SAF annually, while the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative in the EU proposes to mandate airports to supply 70% of SAF. E-fuels have emerged as a promising solution for decarbonizing the aviation sector by using renewable electricity, green H₂, and CO₂ to produce synthetic fuels. Among pathways at lower TRL, non-thermal plasma (NTP) has the potential to enable thermodynamically unfavorable reactions by energizing electrons. However, NTP CO₂ hydrogenation requires catalysts to tune reactions towards selective hydrocarbon formation. Currently, there is still a lack of fundamental understanding of how catalyst properties influence conversion, selectivity, and yields under NTP conditions. Our work aims to improve understanding of the catalysts structure-function relationship in NTP CO₂ hydrogenation through experiments and computational models. To this end, we employ point-source DBD in a packed-bed DRIFTS cell for in-operando measurements of surface species. NTP CO₂ hydrogenation over modified metal oxides and zeolites has exhibited activity in CO and CH_x formation on the catalyst surfaces at lower temperatures. These observations are key to understanding the interrelatedness of NTP and catalyst properties, as well as establish an initial pathway for future optimized catalyst design to enhance conversion and hydrocarbon selectivity.