LAUSR

The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is one of the major environmental challenges, necessitating not only emission reduction but also effective carbon utilization. Non-thermal plasma-catalytic CO2 conversion offers an efficient pathway under mild conditions by synergistically combining plasma activation with catalytic surface reactions. In this study, mesoporous ceria catalysts were synthesized by different methods and characterized using N2 adsorption–desorption, SEM, XRD, XPS, CO2-TPD, and XRF techniques. The materials exhibited distinct textural and electronic properties, including variations in surface area, pore structure, and basicity. Plasma-catalytic CO2 dissociation experiments were conducted in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor at near-room temperature. Among the synthesized catalysts, Ce(mp)-4 demonstrated the highest CO2 conversion of 32.3% at a 5 kV input voltage and superior energy efficiency, which can be attributed to its meso-macroporous structure that promotes microdischarge formation and enhances CO2 adsorption–desorption dynamics. CO was the only product obtained, with near-100% selectivity. Catalyst stability testing showed no deactivation while spent catalyst characterization indicated carbon-containing species. The findings in this study highlight the critical role of tailored pore structure and basic-site distribution in optimizing plasma-catalytic CO2 dissociation performance, offering a promising strategy for energy-efficient CO2 utilization.