• Identical work

The use of atmospheric or locally emitted carbon dioxide (CO₂) as raw material for the production of chemicals and fuels represents an important strategy for reducing the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere and the dependence on fossil fuels. Heterogeneously catalyzed processes enable the activation and transformation of CO₂, for example, via CO₂ hydrogenation, via reforming of CO₂ or by using CO₂ as an oxidizing agent in selective oxidation reactions. The rational design of better catalysts requires a fundamental understanding of the underlying reaction mechanism and the catalyst’s mode of operation. To this end, the development and application of new experimental approaches is urgently needed, providing a detailed analysis of the respective catalyst and its structural dynamics, ultimately enabling the identification of reaction intermediates and active sites. To be of relevance, catalysts need to be monitored in situ under real working conditions, preferably combined with a simultaneous detection of activity, which is known as operando analysis (see Fig. 1).