Increased Catalytic Activity of the Sabatier Reaction for Space Applications

Increased Catalytic Activity of the Sabatier Reaction for Space Applications | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Increased Catalytic Activity of the Sabatier Reaction for Space Applications Shougo Higashi, Yoshifumi Maegawa, Yasutomo Goto, Kazutoshi Miwa, and 12 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4670357/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Water is crucial in space missions, and developing lightweight, high-performing catalysts for water recycling is essential. Extensive research on nanosized and even single-atom catalysts supported on oxides has been conducted for this purpose. However, the oxide supports usually constitute over 90% of the total mass, so the catalysts are heavy. Here, we fabricated a light, fibrous RuO2 nanostructured textile consisting solely of RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs), which did not require an oxide support, and evaluated it in the Sabatier reaction for water recycling. Remarkably, this support-free catalyst textile displayed an unprecedented catalytic mass activity (~60 mmolCH4 h-1 gcat-1 at 160 °C), which was approximately 20 times higher than that of a previously reported Ru/TiO2 catalyst, and the highest TOF (0.021 s-1 at 160 °C). Although well-known catalyst degradation was observed during prolonged testing, the performance of the textile remained exceptional even after 46 hours of continuous operation. A detailed surface analysis unveiled phenomena such as RuO2 reduction, nanoparticle growth, surface smoothing, and Ru loss during the reaction, contributing to degradation. We expect that addressing these intrinsic and thermodynamically driven phenomena will improve activity and durability. Physical sciences/Chemistry/Catalysis/Heterogeneous catalysis Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Nanoparticles Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementary.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4670357","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":322512065,"identity":"38eadfe2-b7a8-4f79-b5d8-968ec4fa91b5","order_by":0,"name":"Shougo 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Extensive research on nanosized and even single-atom catalysts supported on oxides has been conducted for this purpose. However, the oxide supports usually constitute over 90% of the total mass, so the catalysts are heavy. Here, we fabricated a light, fibrous RuO2 nanostructured textile consisting solely of RuO2 nanoparticles (NPs), which did not require an oxide support, and evaluated it in the Sabatier reaction for water recycling. Remarkably, this support-free catalyst textile displayed an unprecedented catalytic mass activity (~60 mmolCH4 h-1 gcat-1 at 160 °C), which was approximately 20 times higher than that of a previously reported Ru/TiO2 catalyst, and the highest TOF (0.021 s-1 at 160 °C). Although well-known catalyst degradation was observed during prolonged testing, the performance of the textile remained exceptional even after 46 hours of continuous operation. A detailed surface analysis unveiled phenomena such as RuO2 reduction, nanoparticle growth, surface smoothing, and Ru loss during the reaction, contributing to degradation. 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