Magnetically Induced Reactive Carbon Capture With Ferromagnetic Multi-Function Materials

Thermochemical reactive carbon capture (tRCC) offers a direct pathway to convert dilute CO₂ into valuable fuels and chemicals. However, the scalability of tRCC is hindered by the thermal inertia of conventional reactors, which limits reactor throughput. Here, we report the first demonstration of magnetically induced reactive carbon capture (mRCC), utilizing high-frequency alternating magnetic fields to drive rapid heating (200-400°C/min) of alkali-impregnated ferromagnetic catalysts. Operating as multi-function materials (MFMs), these sorbent-catalysts achieve high temperatures in minutes rather than hours, capturing and selectively converting dilute CO₂ into methane. Surprisingly, the optimal Na/NiFe exhibited stable CH₄ productivity under mRCC but was rendered inactive under equivalent conventional heating. Utilizing a novel magnetically programmed reduction (MPR) technique alongside in situ DRIFTS and STEM-EELS, we reveal that contact heating under reducing conditions drives phase segregation and alkali migration, eliminating the material's CO₂ capture capability. In contrast, localized magnetic heating preserves the functionality of the alkali capture sites while creating a reactive surface hydrogen pool. These findings show that magnetic induction does not merely accelerate heating but fundamentally alters the local catalyst-sorbent environment. Ultimately, this work establishes critical design principles for induction-heated catalysis and advances mRCC as a scalable power-to-X strategy for rapid carbon valorization.