Oriented radiation regulation via forward and backward scattering of foam structural catalyst in thermochemical reactor for enhanced solar to fuel conversion

[Display omitted] •Idea of strong forward and backward scattering is proposed to enhance solar-to-fuel.•Well-designed Ni/Al2O3 strengthens solar radiation absorption and radiative transfer.•More uniform temperatures achieve a 4.53% significant improvement in conversion. Solar driven methane dry reforming can not only reduce greenhouse gases but also produce high-value syngas. However, the poor solar radiation absorption and radiative heat transfer resulted in inefficient solar to fuel in a foam reactor. To enhance energy conversion, here, we proposed a novel idea for oriented radiation regulation of foam structural catalyst via strong forward radiation scattering in fore-end but strong backward radiation scattering in rear-end. The design of foam structural catalyst was optimized and experimentally verified the effectiveness in increasing absorption, transmission, and conversion of solar radiation. Experimental and numerical studies demonstrated that, through oriented radiation regulation method, the thermochemical reactor achieved a better radiation penetration, more uniform temperature and higher solar to fuel conversion efficiency. The conversion rates of CH4 and CO2 can be increased by 15.45% and 11.27%, with a 4.53% significant improvement in solar to fuel. The excellent conversion efficiency opened a new pathway towards large-scale solar energy utilization.