Light-driven restructuring generates nanoisland NiIr alloy for efficient methane dry reforming.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41540026.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-68429-w and PMC identifier 12913659.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
The simultaneous utilization of methane and carbon dioxide via dry reforming holds promise for sustainable syngas production, yet conventional thermocatalytic processes suffer from energy-intensive operation and catalyst deactivation. Here, we report a light-driven methane dry reforming strategy utilizing sinter-resistant nano-island alloys catalyst, which are dynamically evolved from partially oxidized NiIr nanoclusters anchored on TiO<sub>2</sub> under photoexcitation. In situ characterization reveals interfacial charge oscillations on the catalyst induce a support-Ni-Ir electron transfer pathway, stabilizing oxidized Ni linkages while electronically modulating surface Ir sites. This dual functionality promotes CH<sub>x</sub>O* intermediate formation, suppressing coking during 100-h operation under intermittent illumination. By decoupling photoelectric and photothermal contributions, we demonstrate that localized photogenerated electrons dominate balanced syngas production, whereas photothermal effects enhance molecular vibrations. The optimized catalyst achieves a syngas rate of 10841 mmol g<sub>cat</sub><sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> with 25.0% light-to-fuel efficiency, establishing a design paradigm for solar-driven alloy catalysts in greenhouse gas valorization.