Trimetallic FeCoNi disulfide nanosheets for CO2-emission-free methanol conversion

Abstract

The electrocatalytic methanol conversion is of importance in direct methanol fuel cell, biomass reforming, and hydrogen generation. To achieve a “carbon-neutral” target, CO2 byproducts derived from biofuels should be mitigated. In contrast to the complete oxidation of methanol to CO2, the selective oxidation of methanol to formate is a CO2-emission-free route without the generation of toxic CO intermediates. Herein, we present a highly active catalyst based on transition-metal disulfide nanosheet arrays supported on Ni foam for methanol conversion. Through composition screening, we find that the FeCoNi disulfide nanosheet exhibits a highly efficient and selective methanol-to-formate conversion. The surface reconstruction of this catalyst allows us to produce 0.66 mmol cm−2 h−1 of formate at low potential (1.40 V) with high faradaic efficiency of > 98%. This work offers a substantial composition tuning strategy to construct noble-metal-free active multi-metal sites for CO2-emission-free conversion of methanol to value-added formate.