Bridging liquid and gas phase catalysis for abiotic CO 2 conversion to prebiotic organics over mesoporous silica‐supported Ni–Co catalysts

Zhao, Yingrui, Dummer, Nicholas F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0946-6304, Aggett, Kieran J., Hutchings, Graham J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-1560, Martin, William F. and Tüysüz, Harun 2026. Bridging liquid and gas phase catalysis for abiotic CO 2 conversion to prebiotic organics over mesoporous silica‐supported Ni–Co catalysts. Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis 368 (11) , e70531. 10.1002/adsc.70531

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Abstract

Reduced carbon species such as formate and methane are widely observed in serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, suggesting that abiotic CO2 hydrogenation can proceed on native metal surfaces or mineral‐supported catalysts. Here, we systematically evaluate SBA‐15 mesoporous silica‐supported Ni–Co catalysts as model systems for the abiotic conversion of CO2 to prebiotic organic molecules under both liquid‐ and gas‐phase conditions. Under liquid‐phase conditions (25°C, 63 bar), all catalysts promote CO2 reduction to formate and ethanol at millimolar concentrations using water as the hydrogen source, while the addition of molecular H2 enhances formate formation at the expense of ethanol production. In contrast, gas‐phase reactions (230–270°C, 20 bar) favor CO2 conversion to CO, methanol, methane, and ethane. Across both phases, catalytic activity and product selectivity exhibit a pronounced dependence on the Ni⋅Co composition, highlighting the critical role of bimetallic interactions. Notably, water strongly modulates CO2 adsorption and the resulting product distribution, underscoring its dual function as both solvent and reactive species. These findings provide insight into phase‐dependent CO2 hydrogenation pathways over Ni⋅Co catalysts and offer a catalytic framework for understanding abiotic routes to prebiotic carbon compounds.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1615-4150
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 June 2026
Date of Acceptance:	6 May 2026
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2026 09:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187297

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