Methane splitting to hydrogen and base growth carbon nanotubes over Fe-based catalysts

We were proud to work on a new publication for the Storming EU Project- “Methane splitting to hydrogen and base growth carbon nanotubes over Fe-based catalysts”. 

The work highlights:

• Cost-effective route to H₂ and added value CNTs from methane splitting.
• Reaction conditions tailor the catalyst properties and carbon nanotubes growth.
• Hydrotalcite-derived FeMgAl catalysts enable base-growth of carbon nanotubes.
• Fe3C species identified by in situ XRD plays a key role in the activation of CH4.
• Smaller energy barrier of the first dehydrogenation step of CH4 for Fe3C than Ni.

Our PhD student, Antonia Bobitan, Managing Director, Simon Jaques and Chief Scientific Officer, Andrew Beale collaborated with authors Ilenia Giarnieri, Vito Foderà, Esteban Gioria, Lucy Costley-Wood, Andrea Bertuzzi, Francesca Ospitali, Giuseppe Fornasari, Christian Danvad Damsgaard, M. Clelia Righi and Patricia Benito Martin. The institutions involved were Università di Bologna, University College London, Research Complex at Harwell and Technical University of Denmark. 

I’m excited for our work to have been published and I’m happy to be a part of the STORMING project. It was a great feeling when the in situ XRD experiment confirmed our hypothesis about the role of Fe3C! ~ Antonia Bobitan

Read the full article at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.125707

Information on the Storming EU project can be found at storming-project.eu

This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme, under Grant Agreement n° 101069690 (STORMING).  Finden is supported through the Innovate UK / UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee Scheme.