Strained Ni-WC nano-islands by localized accelerated carbonization emulate noble-metal RWGS activity.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42034615.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-72283-1.
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Abstract
Among CO<sub>2</sub> emission mitigation strategies, the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction represents a promising route for selective CO<sub>2</sub>-to-CO conversion, enabling subsequent valorization. However, designing selective and stable non-noble metal catalysts for RWGS remains a persistent challenge. In this study, we report a Ni site-induced localized accelerated carbonization process to produce noble metal-like active Ni-WC nano-islands for high-performance RWGS catalysis. Benefiting from the unique structures, the Ni<sub>0.02</sub>WC/WO<sub>2</sub>-NIs catalyst exhibits exceptionally high RWGS activities, with a CO production rate of 2340 mol<sub>CO</sub>·mol<sub>WC</sub><sup>-1</sup>·h<sup>-1</sup> and over 97% CO selectivity. Even after 100 hours of continuous testing at 500 °C, the activity loss of Ni<sub>0.02</sub>WC/WO<sub>2</sub>-NIs was only 0.5%. Unlike the conventional catalyst structure in the RWGS reaction, we demonstrate that the nano-island WC structure with stretch strain ensures the space limitation of electron-rich Ni sites for CO desorption and H<sub>2</sub> dissociation. Integrated in-situ DRIFTS, Raman spectroscopy, and DFT calculations reveal that dual-functional WC/WO<sub>x</sub> interfaces enhance catalyst activity through bidentate carbonate formation and intensified hydrogen spillover. We suggest that the design of new, efficient, and selective Ni-based noble-metal-like catalysts with nano-island structure through interface synergistic effects offers a promising path to engineering superior RWGS catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction.