Two well-established labs of two distinguished Greek Universities, the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry & Chemical Processes (PCCP)/School of Chem. & Environ. Engineering/Technical University of Crete (TUC), and, the Laboratory of Ceramics and Composite Materials (LCC)/Dept of Materials Science and Engineering/University of Ioannina (UoI), with complementary scientific knowledge, experience and skills, but with strongly converging research interests and goals, unite their skills and capabilities for the implementation of an interesting and innovative research project. It concerns the rational design/development of innovative catalytic nanomaterials for CO₂ recycling processes based on a novel methodology/approach recently discovered in one of the participating labs (PCCP).

This new catalyst design approach yields catalysts with exceptional stability even under highly strenuous operating conditions, capable of in situ regeneration (redispersion), and, at the same time with enhanced activity; all resulted by specific metal-support interactions controlled by a spontaneously created electrical effective-double-layer (EDL) on the catalyst nanoparticle surfaces. Here we will use this approach to design stable and efficient CO₂ processing catalysts, specifically for CO₂ methanation and CO₂ reforming by CH₄ processes. Both topics are at the top of research interest due to their high environmental, energy and economic importance (circular economy strategies).

• We aspire to solve crucial stability/activity problems faced by the catalysis of these processes.
• In addition, we will be particularly concerned with further detailed interpretation, improvement and generalization of our novel method and model so that it can be widely used as a basis for solving problems of thermal aging deactivation industrial catalysts, a long-term and high economic impact problem of industry.
• Both fundamental and applied knowledge and technology of high economic and social impact will be acquired.