Methane\nUtilization to Methanol by a Hybrid Zeolite@Metal–Organic\nFramework

Abstract

The\ndevelopment of an effective approach for methane utilization,\nespecially methane conversion to methanol, is a crucial challenge\nthat has remained unsolved satisfactorily. Herein, we propose an alternative\nconcept of methane utilization to methanol over Fe-ZSM-5@ZIF-8. The\nconcept is to use the designed composite as a dual catalyst in which\nZIF-8 and Fe-ZSM-5 act simultaneously as a gas adsorbent and catalyst,\nrespectively. In this case, methane can be adsorbed on ZIF-8 at 50\n°C and subsequently converted to methanol at a moderate temperature\n(150 °C) on Fe-ZSM-5. Interestingly, the promising catalytic\nperformance is observed on Fe-ZSM-5@ZIF-8, whereas only trace amounts\nof produced methanol are detected on isolated Fe-ZSM-5 and ZIF-8.\nMoreover, the designed composite also facilitates a facile methanol\ndesorption at the hydrophobic surface of the composite. This first\nexample opens up new promising horizons in combined perspectives for\ngas storage and catalytic process applications.