Recently, a team led by Researcher Wen Xiaodong from the Institute of Coal Chemistry (ICC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has made significant progress in the structural regulation of iron-based catalysts. The research result, titled "Stabilized Fe7C3 Catalyst with K-Mg Dual Promotion for Robust CO2 Hydrogenation to High-Value Olefins" is published in Nature Communications.

ABSTRACT: Iron carbide catalysts, particularly the Fe₇C₃ phase, hold significant potential for efficient CO₂ hydrogenation to olefins, yet stabilizing this phase under reactive conditions remains a major challenge. Herein, we report a robust and efficient synthesis of nearly phase-pure Fe₇C₃ catalysts derived from Prussian blue analogues, whose stability is significantly enhanced by strategically incorporating K and Mg promoters. Comprehensive characterization reveals that K accelerates the carbonization process and markedly enhances olefin selectivity, whereas Mg effectively suppresses water-induced oxidation, preserving the structural integrity of the Fe₇C₃ phase. Under optimized reaction conditions (340 °C, 2 MPa, H₂/CO₂ = 3), the Fe₇C₃-KMg catalyst achieves a high CO₂ conversion of 41.5% and an olefin selectivity of 67.1%, maintaining exceptional catalytic stability for over 1000 hours. These findings offer valuable new insights into the rational design of robust iron carbide catalysts for sustainable and efficient CO₂ conversion into high-value chemicals.

Qian, F., Wang, M., Wei, Z. et al. Stabilized Fe7C3 catalyst with K–Mg dual promotion for robust CO₂ hydrogenation to high-value olefins. Nat Commun 16, 8044 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63218-3