Electrocatalytic Coupling Conversion of Methane by Dual-Site Control in Nickel Oxyhydroxide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas and a valuable carbon resource.
• Efficient and eco-friendly conversion of CH4 into value-added products is crucial.
• Developing multi-site active structures for CH4 conversion requires further research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and general approach for electrocatalytic CH4 conversion.
• To engineer a synergistic Ni-O dual-site catalyst by controlling Ni electronic properties.
• To enhance C-H dissociation and C-C coupling for CH4 to C2+ product conversion.

Main Methods:

• Controlling the electronic property of Nickel (Ni) to achieve moderate d-p orbital hybridization with Oxygen (O).
• Synthesizing and characterizing NiOOH as an optimal catalyst based on Ni valence and d-band shifting.
• Electrocatalytic testing of CH4 oxidation to C2 products.

Main Results:

• The optimized NiOOH catalyst demonstrated a synergistic Ni-O dual-site effect.
• Achieved a high Faradaic efficiency of 53.5% for acetic acid production.
• Exhibited a production rate of 401.6 µmol gcat.-1 h-1 and long-term stability (>50 h).

Conclusions:

• Developed an efficient electrocatalytic process for CH4 conversion.
• The NiOOH catalyst offers a promising route for sustainable and economic CH4 utilization.
• This work provides insights into designing new materials for effective CH4 electrocatalysis.