UV-Illuminated Rhodium: Breakthrough Yields Methane from Carbon Dioxide

Researchers in the Chemistry and Physics Departments at Duke University have found that CH4 (Methane) is almost exclusively produced when rhodium nanoparticles are mildly illuminated in ultraviolet LED light, yielding a seven-fold increase in the CH4 production rate over dark conditions, while only a slight increase in simultaneous CO production was detected. No other carbon-containing product was observed, making this photocatalytic process an enticing possible solution for the reduction of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere while simultaneously producing methane for fuel and industrial use. Rhodium is commonly used in automobile catalytic converters. http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14542