Work

Probing Methane Coupling on Liquid Metal Indium: In Situ Elucidation of Active Sites

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The nonoxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) offers a promising route to convert methane into value-added chemicals. Liquid metals have emerged as potential catalysts for NOCM, due to their propensity against coke formation and the flexible atomic arrangement that facilitates methane activation, with liquid state indium (In) gaining attention. However, the reaction pathways and catalytic mechanisms of In during NOCM have yet to be fully understood. Here, we report the discovery of locally generated In liquid metal active sites on In 2 O 3 for the NOCM reaction, supported by silicon dioxide substrates, in the vicinity of an in situ formed In silicon oxide (In 2 Si 2 O 7 ) interfacial layer. By the implementation of combined in situ transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, we directly observed the formation of liquid metal “In active sites”, near the interfacial layer, at >600 °C. The spectroscopy analysis reveals that In 2 Si 2 O 7 is a reservoir in methane conversion, storing reactive H* and CH x * intermediate spillover from “In” for driving the NOCM reaction, avoiding the overcracking of CH 4 over metallic In. This finding provides a practical approach for the rational design of efficient and noncorrosive liquid metal-based catalysts.

Source: JACS Au

DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c01660