Microwave-enhanced core-shell catalysts derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for catalytic gasification: From model compound to real biomass

Tar formation and catalyst deactivation are critical bottlenecks hindering biomass gasification. Microwave (MW) heating and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived catalysts exhibit great promise for tar conversion. Herein, MOFs-derived carbon catalysts were synthesized via an in situ self-confinement strategy. The 5Ni-5Co@C catalyst achieved 95.03% phenol conversion and 84.60% H₂ yield at 800 °C under thermal catalysis. Remarkably, 400 W low-power MW catalysis realized complete phenol conversion, with 80.80% H₂ yield and 68.90% CO selectivity. MW selective heating induced pronounced interfacial polarization at the metal-carbon heterojunction, forming local hotspots to promote CO formation from phenoxy radicals. Meanwhile, MW-induced worm-like carbon nanotubes from carbon deposition effectively suppressed catalyst coking and sintering. For real biomass MW gasification, the 7Ni-3Co@C catalyst delivered 40.92 mmol/g H₂ yield and 67.78 mmol/g syngas yield. This work provides a new strategy for MOFs-derived catalyst design and elucidates mechanistic differences between thermal and MW heating in tar conversion. © 2026 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.