Highly Active, Durable Ultrathin MoTe₂ Layers for the Electroreduction of CO₂ to CH₄

The electroreduction of CO₂ to CH₄ is a highly desirable, challenging research topic. In this study, an electrocatalytic system comprising ultrathin MoTe₂ layers and an ionic liquid electrolyte for the reduction of CO₂ to methane is reported, efficiently affording methane with a faradaic efficiency of 83 ± 3% (similar to the best Cu-based catalysts reported thus far) and a durable activity of greater than 45 h at a relatively high current density of 25.6 mA cm^-2 (-1.0 V_RHE ). The results obtained can facilitate research on the design of other transition-metal dichalcogenide electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO₂ to valuable fuels.