Defect-engineered spinel solid solution on etched zeolite: Design of honeycomb like core-shell...

The Co-based spinel was first converted into a NiCuCo solid solution through ion exchange, and then engineered into a core-shell structure using etched Zeolite Socony Mobile-5 (ZSM-5) as the crystallization core, ultimately resulting in MSZSM@Ni_0.75Cu_0.25Co₂O₄ by the solvothermal process, aimed at optimizing the low-temperature activity of methanol-to‑hydrogen conversion. Characterization revealed that solid solution substitution induces lattice contraction. The etched roughened zeolite surface provided abundant anchoring sites for the nucleation, leading to morphological evolution and comprehensive enhancement of physicochemical properties. By architecting the solid solution onto the etched ZSM-5 core, a curved thin-sheet honeycomb composite was formed. This structure overcomes the low surface area limitation of pure spinel, exhibiting a specific surface area of 342.8 m²g^-1-nearly ten times greater than the pristine spinel-thereby promoting a higher concentration of active defects. Molecular simulations on the exposed surface {311} revealed that defects preferentially form and adsorption reactions proceed more readily in the composites. In hydrogen preparation via methanol decomposition, 83% of methanol was decomposed at 280 °C, along with 91.5% H₂ selectivity and an H₂/CO ratio of 2.26, demonstrating the excellent activity of nanocomposite MSZSM@Ni_0.75Cu_0.25Co₂O₄.