Au-decorated Zn x Mg 1− x O solid solutions with coexisting acidic and basic sites for enhanced photocatalytic methane conversion to ethane

Key Points

• The research aims to investigate the effectiveness of Au-decorated Zn-Mg O solid solutions in photocatalytically converting methane to ethane.
• Synthesis of 3Au–Zn0.95Mg0.05O solid solutions
• Characterization of acidic and basic sites
• Assessment of photocatalytic activity for methane conversion
• Achieved methane conversion rate of 2700 µmol g −1 h −1
• Demonstrated 85% selectivity for ethane
• Identified the role of acid-base activation and Au-stabilized ˙CH 3 in the process.

Abstract