{
  "id": 13401788,
  "title": "New catalyst enables lower-temperature methane conversion with sustained performance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/new-catalyst-enables-lower-temperature-methane-conversion-with",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-10T12:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-catalyst-enables-temperature-methane-conversion.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Methane conversion through a process called oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) typically requires high temperatures of around 800°C for industrial applications. However, researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have discovered a new catalyst that enables OCM at lower temperatures while maintaining performance over time. This breakthrough catalyst is made from a high-entropy oxide material containing five or more different metallic elements. By carefully selecting specific combinations of these elements, the researchers developed a catalyst called HEO-2, which features lanthanum, samarium, europium, gadolinium, and dysprosium. The catalyst showed exceptional low-temperature activity, initiating C2 hydrocarbon formation as low as 525°C and reaching a 12.3% yield at 600°C. Importantly, the catalyst maintained this performance for extended periods, with a deactivation rate more than 25 times lower than single oxides after 240 hours of testing. The key to this catalyst's success lies in its surface basicity, which can be adjusted by changing the average ionic radius of the lanthanoid elements. This allows for a tunable balance between reaction activity and stability. The researchers believe this discovery could pave the way for more efficient and cost-effective methane conversion processes in industrial applications.",
  "summary": "Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a chemical reaction that directly converts methane and oxygen, the main components of natural gas, into higher-value hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. However, the reaction presents a fundamental selectivity challenge.",
  "key_points": [
    "Researchers at Tokyo Institute discover catalyst enabling OCM at lower temperatures.",
    "Catalyst HEO-2 made from high-entropy oxide material with five metallic elements.",
    "HEO-2 shows exceptional low-temperature activity and sustained performance."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}