CO₂ Conversion Technology Breakthrough in Carbon Capture

Researchers from the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and KAIST have developed a cutting-edge catalyst that significantly enhances carbon dioxide (CO₂) conversion. This innovation transforms CO₂ into valuable chemical fuels with twice the efficiency of conventional methods. Opening the doors for further CO₂ conversion technology.

Traditional CO₂ conversion methods are energy-intensive and inefficient. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) show promise but struggle with stability. To solve this, the research team introduced dual-single-atom catalysts (DSACs), which leverage interactions between two metal atoms for greater efficiency and selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation.

By carefully controlling oxygen vacancies and defect structures in metal oxides, the new DSAC technology significantly improves CO₂ and hydrogen (H₂) adsorption. As a result, it leads to a far more effective reaction. Consequently, this results in a highly efficient conversion process that achieves over 99% selectivity and effectively doubles efficiency.

Using aerosol-assisted spray pyrolysis, the team developed a streamlined synthesis process that eliminates complex steps. This scalable method cuts single-atom catalyst usage by 50% while ensuring high efficiency.

This breakthrough paves the way for applications in chemical fuel synthesis, hydrogen production, and clean energy, making CO₂ conversion technology more viable for a sustainable future.

• Park, D., Hong, S., Han, J., Kim, Y., Park, M., Lee, B., Song, Y., Koo, H. Y., Yang, S., Lee, W. B., & Park, J. Y. (2024). Insights into the synergy effect in dual single-atom catalysts on defective CeO2 under CO2 hydrogenation. Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy. DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2024.124987
• Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS). (2025). Enhanced CO₂ Conversion Reaction through Dual-Single-Atom Catalysts. Press Release.