Perspective on understanding and developing catalysts for oxidative coupling of methane

Despite extensive studies on the catalytic oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction in the past forty years using a variety of experimental and computational approaches, there remain great challenges in finding optimal catalysts for the commercialization of this highly promising reaction. In this perspective, we first highlight the important insights gained from our recent efforts in employing in situ and Operando spectroscopic techniques and first principles based computational methods to predict spectroscopic and catalytic properties. We then describe future research directions for gaining a deeper understanding of the mechanism and kinetics of the OCM reaction using an integrated spectroscopic and computational approach for the rational design of more effective OCM catalysts with a much higher ethylene yield.