Electron-tailored amorphous nickel-tungsten boride catalysts for high-efficiency photothermal carbon dioxide...

The urgent need for sustainable carbon dioxide (CO₂) utilization has driven the development of photothermal catalysis as an efficient strategy for solar-driven CO₂ methanation. Herein, we report an amorphous nickel‑tungsten boride (NiWB) catalyst that achieves exceptional conversion of CO₂ to methane (CH₄) under mild conditions without external heating. The optimized NiWB catalyst exhibits a remarkable CH₄ production rate of 19.32 mmol g^-1 h^-1 with 92.50 % selectivity under full-spectrum illumination (2.0 W cm^-2), surpassing most reported Ni-based catalysts. Structural and electronic characterizations reveal that the amorphous framework provides abundant unsaturated active sites, while W incorporation enhances interfacial interactions and modulates the electronic structure of Ni sites, promoting H₂ and CO₂ activation. In situ Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFS) analysis confirms a formate-mediated reaction pathway, and kinetic studies demonstrate that photothermal synergy significantly reduces activation energy compared to pure thermal catalysis. Furthermore, the formation of stable WB bonds in amorphous catalyst inhibits crystallization, improving catalyst durability. This work highlights the synergistic advantages of amorphous engineering and electronic modulation in designing efficient photothermal catalysts for sustainable CO₂ valorization.