Excellent Catalytic Performance Research Articles

Theory-driven design of graphene-nickel gallate nanocomplex as functional catalyst for composite modified double base propellant

New graphene-nickel gallate nanocomplex (G-M-Ni) was designed, synthesized and characterized to deal with the requirement of functional combustion catalyst based on investigations of combustion mechanisms of propellant, structural analysis of catalyst and simulation results of quantum mechanics. The positive effect of G-M-Ni is not only reflected in the significantly increased burning rate, but also reflected in the reduction of friction sensitivity of composite modified double base (CMDB) propellant. The G-M-Ni nanocomplex exhibited significantly enhanced catalytic performances, and the burning rate of propellant at 20 MPa enhanced from 23.15 to 29.07 mm·s-1. Besides, the friction sensitivity of propellant reduced from 64 % to 36 % after addition of 0.5% G-M-Ni. The positive effect of G-M-Ni on CMDB propellant combustion is mainly attributed to its promotion impact on nitroglycerin (NG) pyrolysis, which significantly increased the differential charge density and decreased the decomposition activation energy (from 1.89 eV to 1.38 eV). The gas products produced by the rapid pyrolysis of NG are conducive to the heat feedback between the gas phase and the combustion surface, which makes the propellant have higher burning rate, bright flame, thin dark zone and flocculated quenching surface morphology. The findings in this study confirm the potential of G-M-Ni as a functional combustion catalyst for CMDB propellants, which has guiding significance and inspiration for the development of new combustion catalysts from the view of molecular-level insights. Novelty and significance statementRecently, graphene based functional combustion catalysts have attracted much attention in the field of solid propellants due to their excellent catalytic combustion performance, reduced sensitivity, and improved mechanical properties. Herein, novel graphene-nickel gallate nanocomplex (G-M-Ni) were designed, synthesized and characterized to deal with the to deal with the requirement of functional combustion catalyst based on investigations of combustion mechanisms of CMDB propellant, structural analysis of new material and simulation results of quantum mechanics. By taking graphene as the benchmark, the G-M-Ni nanocomplex exhibited significantly enhanced catalytic performances, and excellent effect on the reduction of friction sensitivity. The relationship between molecular structure of G-M-Ni and combustion characteristics of CMDB propellant were disclosed. The theory-driven design mode of this work may provide new pathways to tune combustion behaviors of CMDB propellants from the view of molecular-level insights.

In situ green architecture of the 3D FeZn-N-C based electrocatalyst for efficient oxygen reduction.

We prepared a 3D FeZn-N-C based catalyst by green in situ growth of 1D Fe-N-C carbon nanotubes by introducing ferrocyanide ions on the surface of 2D exfoliated MOF-5. The 1D/2D FeZn-N-C based electrocatalyst is conducive to O2 diffusion and ionic/electron transfer, exhibiting an excellent ORR catalytic performance and a peak power density of 294 mW cm-2 for Zn-air batteries.

A novel persulfate activation strategy by double Z-scheme Bi2O3/CuBi2O4/BiOBr heterojunction: Non-radical dominated pathway for levofloxacin degradation

Persulfate advanced oxidation technology (PS-AOPs) is known as a novel wastewater treatment method. Considering the poor self-stability of Bi2O3/CuBi2O4, we synthesized Bi2O3/CuBi2O4/BiOBr ternary composite material and established the non-radical pathway-dominated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation system. The study indicated that BiOBr promoted electron migration on the material surface. Bi2O3/CuBi2O4/BiOBr/Vis/PMS system exhibited excellent catalytic performance (86.83 % within 100 min), significantly higher than Bi2O3/CuBi2O4 (63.19 %) and BiOBr (60.35 %). Furthermore, it has strong catalytic activity and adaptability to various environmental conditions. By quenching experiments and EPR analysis, O2−∙ and 1O2 were the main active species. Finally, possible degradation pathways and intermediates were predicted through liquid mass spectrometer (LC-MS), and toxicity analysis was conducted on levofloxacin (Lev) and intermediates. The degradation mechanism may be attributed to the construction of double Z-scheme heterojunction, photogenerated electron transfer and ROS generation through the redox cycle of Cu2+/Cu+ and Bi5+/Bi3+.

Construction of high-efficiency Fe-MnO@Fe electrocatalyst for methanol and ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium

Abstract Acquiring effective, durable and economical non-precious metal electrocatalysts is crucial for the widespread utilization of fuel cells. In this work, an iron/manganese oxide nanocomposite (Fe-MnO@Fe) is synthesized as a novel electrocatalyst by direct-current (DC) arc plasma technology integrating transition metal and transition metal oxide. The Fe-MnO@Fe catalyst demonstrates excellent catalytic performance. By modulating the percentage of transition metal and transition metal oxide in the composite, the largest current density values of methanol and ethanol oxidation of the composite reach 20.18 and 7.83 mA/cm2, respectively. In addition, the composite catalyst exhibits excellent stability and conductivity, and the catalyst greatly reduces the experimental cost relative to the noble metal catalysts, indicating that the composite is a potential fuel cell catalyst candidate and provides an innovative concept for creation non-precious metal catalysts.

Manganese Carbodiimide (MnNCN): A New Heterogeneous Mn Catalyst for the Selective Synthesis of Nitriles from Alcohols.

Earth-abundant manganese oxides (MnOx) were competitive candidates when screening catalysts for ammoxidation of alcohols into nitriles due to their redox property. However, over-oxidation and possible acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of nitriles into amides still limited the application of MnOx in nitrile synthesis. In this work, manganese carbodiimide (MnNCN) was first reported to be robust for the ammoxidation of alcohols into nitriles, avoiding over-oxidation and the hydrolysis. Besides the high activity and selectivity, MnNCN demonstrated wide substrate scope including the ammoxidation of primary alcohols into nitriles, the oxidative C-C bonds cleavage and ammoxidation of secondary alcohols, phenyl substituted aliphatic alcohols, and diols into nitriles. Controlled experiments and DFT calculation results revealed that the excellent catalytic performance of MnNCN originated from its high ability in the activation of O2 molecules, and favorable oxidative dehydrogenation of C=N bonds in the aldimine intermediates (RCH=NH) into nitriles, inhibiting the competitive side reaction of the oxidation of aldehydes into carboxylic acids, followed to amide byproducts. Moreover, the hydrolysis of nitriles was also inhibited over MnNCN for its weak acidity as compared with MnOx. This study provided new insights into Mn-catalyzed aerobic oxidations as a highly important complement to manganese oxides.

Switchable transformation of biomass-derived furfural to furfuryl alcohol and isopropyl furfuryl ether over a zirconium-based bifunctional catalyst

Selectively converting biomass-derived furfural (FF) to furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and isopropyl furfuryl ether (IPFE) via the same catalytic system is an important strategy for the production of high-value chemicals and fuels. However, this strategy still faces a great challenge because the formation of FFA and IPFE requires different catalyst types and reaction conditions. Hence, developing a compatible catalytic system is extremely necessary. In this work, we designed a high-efficiency zirconium-based bifunctional catalyst (Zr-HC-SO3H), simultaneously containing Lewis acid-base sites (Zr4+–O2−) and Brønsted acid sites (–SO3H), which were mainly responsible for the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction reaction of FF and further etherification reaction of FFA, respectively. By controlling reaction conditions, the action orders and catalytic activities of Zr4+–O2− and –SO3H could be accurately regulated. Thus, Zr-HC-SO3H showed excellent catalytic performance for the switchable transformation of FF, leading to 98.9 % FFA yield at 120 °C for 4 h and 95.1 % IPFE yield at 170 °C for 12 h in isopropanol (iPrOH). Additionally, the analysis results of reaction pathways indicated that the etherification of FFA was much more difficult than the reduction of FF over Zr-HC-SO3H in iPrOH, so IPFE was only formed under the harsher reaction conditions. More significantly, Zr-HC-SO3H also catalyzed the switchable transformation of many other carbonyl compounds and demonstrated satisfactory catalytic universality in iPrOH. In conclusion, this work offered some momentous clues for the development of multipurpose catalytic systems and the controllable synthesis of valuable products in the biorefinery process.

Effect of A-site cation doping on the catalytic oxidation of toluene over mullite catalyst GdMn2O5

Manganese-based mullite (AMn2O5) catalysts are promising for the catalytic oxidation of VOCs, with their oxidation reaction performance being tunable by modifying the composition of the A-site elements. In this work, various manganese-based mullite catalysts (Gd0.9X0.1Mn2O5, X =Sr, Ce, or Ca) with different A-site elements doping were prepared by the citric acid sol–gel method and applied to the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The activity tests indicated that the enhancement of catalytic performance by doping elements was in the order of Sr > Ce > Ca. Notably, the T90 of the Gd0.9Sr0.1Mn2O5 catalyst was 235.6 °C, a lower 37.8 °C than that of the GdMn2O5. Comprehensive characterization and density functional theory (DFT) simulations revealed that Sr doping facilitates the reduction of Mn4+ to Mn3+, increases the electron occupancy of the eg orbitals in octahedral Mn sites, and elevates the Mn-d band center, thus facilitating the adsorption and activation of O2. Additionally, the raised O-p band center caused by Sr doping enhances lattice oxygen mobility. In situ DRIFTS analysis indicated that the introduction of Sr at the A-site optimizes the toluene reaction pathway and accelerates the reaction rate. This work reveals that a simple A-site cation doping strategy can effectively regulate manganese-based mullite catalysts’ electronic structure and surface reaction activity, providing a feasible method for the large-scale preparation of manganese-based mullite catalysts with excellent catalytic performance.

CoAl composite catalysts derived from hydrotalcite-like compounds for CH4 efficient dry reforming

In this study, CoAlx-LDH hydrotalcite-like was used as the precursors to prepare the CoAlx-LD composite catalysts for the DRM reaction. The transition metal Co was the main catalytic active centers for the DRM reaction. The layered structure of the hydrotalcite-like CoAlx-LDH precursors promoted the highly dispersed Co0 active centers to be formed in the CoAlx-LD catalysts. In addition, synergistic effects between active sites, basic sites and oxygen vacancies can promote the DRM catalytic performances of CoAl composite catalysts. Meanwhile, the Co/Al mole ratio can regulate the active sites, basic sites and oxygen vacancies in the catalysts, thereby affecting its catalytic performances. The CoAl12-LD catalyst with a Co/Al mole ratio of 1/2 exhibited excellent DRM catalytic performances. The CH4 and CO2 conversions on the prepared CoAl12-LD catalyst achieved 86.8% and 53.4% at atmospheric pressure and 700 °C, respectively. In addition, the catalyst also showed excellent use stability in the DRM reaction.

Zeolite-modified alumina-bead catalyst for hierarchical cracking of bulky molecules

A novel zeolite-modified alumina-bead catalyst (ZSM-5/Al2O3-b) was prepared via calcining zeolite-coated alumina-bead material (Al2O3-b@ZSM-5) to graft zeolitic acid sites on the alumina-bead surface. The acid catalyst proved high activity and more 8 times catalytic efficiency than the corresponding ZSM-5(5 %) + Al2O3 mechanically mixed catalyst for cracking of 1, 3, 5-triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) in the FCC simulation reactor with short contact time. The characterization results showed that the surface property of the alumina-beads has been modified and the interface connection of Si-O-Al bonds between zeolitic nanoparticles and alumina resulted in stable zeolite particles on the alumina surface and the structural stability in hot water. The excellent catalytic performances are ascribed to the decrease of diffusion limitation of reactants and intermediates and the increase of Brønsted acid sites on the ZSM-5/Al2O3-b catalyst. The grafted/modified alumina-bead catalyst can be directly used in practical catalytic cracking of large molecules without forming. This strategy can be extended to the preparation of other types of zeolite-containing catalysts and industrial applications.

A novel kind of hollow SiO2@g-C3N4@TiO2 microspheres for rapid removal of dyes and antibiotics in water under sunlight

In this paper, using PVP-modified polystyrene microspheres as template, tetrabutyl titanate (TEOT), tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and melamine as precursor, we developed a facile one-pot two-step method to preparing a novel kind of mesoporous hollow SiO2@TiO2@g-C3N4 ternary composite microspheres with plush surface, in which highly active black titanium dioxide (TiO2) was formed by simple calcination without further chemical reduction treatment. The structure and morphology of the composite microspheres were detailed characterized for understanding the formation mechanism. Research results indicated that the hollow SiO2 microspheres can promote the formation of oxygen vacancies in TiO2, and the ternary combination narrowed the bandgap width of the black hollow composite microspheres to 1.43 eV, thus endowing it with excellent broad-spectrum catalytic performance for rapid photo-degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dyes and antibiotics in water under sunlight. The removal rates of dyes reached more than 70 %, as well as that of antibiotics more than 50 % within one hour. Finally, a plausible catalytic degradation mechanism was discussed.

LaCuMnOx perovskite activating persulfate for the degradation of bisphenol A: excellent tolerance to hypersaline environment

AbstractBackgroundLaCuMnOx (LCMO) perovskite was designed as an effective catalyst to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) to remove bisphenol A (BPA) in hypersaline wastewater.ResultsIn the LCMO/PDS system, BPA (10 mg/L) was removed completely and the mineralization degree reached 74.9% in the presence of 0.12 g/L catalyst and 1.2 mM PDS. The BPA removal efficiency was still almost 100% even after five cycles. Metal ion leakage also indicated the stability of the catalytic system. •OH, SO4•−, 1O2, and O2•− all contributed to BPA removal, and O2•− accounted for the greatest contribution. The presence of oxygen vacancies (Vo··) on the surface of the catalyst was important for PDS activation and the formation of active species. In addition, the system could still maintain outstanding performance even when [Cl−] and [SO42−] were 100 g/L. CO32− and HCO3− inhibited BPA degradation greatly, even at very low concentrations. The inhibitory effect was related to changes in the pH of the solution caused by the addition of CO32− and HCO3−. This effect could be eliminated by adjusting the pH.ConclusionThe system showed excellent catalytic performance, stability, and inorganic anion tolerance, indicating its potential for application in hypersaline wastewater treatment. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Effects of B Addition on Microstructure Evolution and Efficient Hydrogen Evolution of Self‐Supported Cu–Fe–P Immiscible Alloy

Herein, the effect of B elements on the microstructure and catalytic properties of Cu–31.5Fe–4.5P immiscible alloy is systematically investigated. After microstructure characterizations, it is found that B elements are mainly concentrated in FexP (Fe2P, Fe3P) particles, which affect the Marangoni motion of the particles. With the concentration of B content increasing to 0.75%, the diameter size of the second‐phase particles in the alloys is first refined and then coarsened, in which the alloy with B content of 0.25% has the finest particle size and the proportion of second‐phase particles with sizes ranging from 1 to 10 μm reaches 97%. The electrochemical characterization of dealloyed specimens shows that the overpotential of Cu–Fe–P alloys containing 0.25% B reaches 193 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 m H2SO4 solution. The excellent catalytic performance might be attributed to the increase in the obviously specific surface area of Fe2P and Fe3P particles and the significant increase in the electron transfer.

Self-Assembled Nanostructure of Ionic Sn(IV)porphyrin Complex Based on Multivalent Interactions for Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Contaminants.

[Sn(H2PO4)2(TPyHP)](H2PO4)4∙6H2O (2), an ionic tin porphyrin complex, was synthesized from the reaction of [Sn(OH)2TPyP] (1) with a dilute aqueous solution of a polyprotic acid (H3PO4). Complex 2 was fully characterized using various spectroscopic methods, such as X-ray single-crystal crystallography, 1H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy, EIS mass spectrometry, PXRD, and TGA analysis. The crystal structure of 2 reveals that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the peripheral pyridinium groups and the axially coordinated dihydrogen phosphate ligands are the main driving force for the supramolecular assembly. Simultaneously, the overall association of these chains in 2 leads to an open framework with porous channels. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methyl orange dye and tetracycline antibiotic by 2 was 83% within 75 min (rate constant = 0.023 min-1) and 75% within 60 min (rate constant = 0.018 min-1), respectively. The self-assembly of 2 resulted in a nanostructure with a huge surface area, elevated thermodynamic stability, interesting surface morphology, and excellent catalytic photodegradation performance for water pollutants, making these porphyrin-based photocatalytic systems promising for wastewater treatment.

PdAg alloy nanowheats: Facile interfacial synthesis and highly selective catalysis in the hydrogenation of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde

Developing a simple and mild one-step method for the preparation of bimetallic nanomaterials with both free-standing features and excellent catalytic performance is highly desirable but remains technically difficult. Herein, a facile liquid-liquid interface route is exploited to grow the wheat-like PdAg nanostructures at the interface of chloroform and water under mild conditions without the use of any surfactants and supports. To implement this scheme, Na2PdCl4 and AgNO3 as precursors are dissolved in aqueous phase and α-naphthol as reducing agent in chloroform phase to build up the interfacial reaction system. At 40°C, the PdAg nanowheats are orderly grown, fused and assembled by many newly generated nanoparticles at the interface region, which have uniform shapes with the length of about 340 nm and the diameter of about 45 nm, abundant defects and strong electronic interaction between Au and Pd, as well as free-standing features. In the hydrogenation reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, PdAg-1 nanowheats exhibit excellent catalytic activity, selectivity and durability. Within 60.0 min of reaction at 35°C under atmospheric pressure, 99.8 % conversion of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and 99.5 % selectivity toward 4-aminobenzaldehyde can be realized. After 5 cycles, 99.4 % conversion of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and 98.0 % selectivity toward 4-aminobenzaldehyde can be maintained.

Metal–Organic Framework‐Induced Rh Monocoodination on Diphosphine Ligand Enables Catalytic Hydroformylation of Aliphatic Olefins at Room Temperature and Pressure

AbstractPersistent challenges in hydroformylation of olefins include controlling regioselectivity, particularly for short aliphatic olefins and conducting reactions under ambient conditions. We report here the synthesis of monophosphine–Rh complexes on a typical chelated diphosphine ligand mediated by a Zr‐MOF through isolating a pair of phosphorus atoms. We demonstrate that single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction can elucidate the structural transformation of the Rh catalyst during olefin hydroformylation, providing valuable information on active site reconstruction during catalysis. The Rh‐MOF catalyst demonstrates excellent catalytic and recyclable performance in the hydroformylation of short aliphatic olefins with linear to branched ratios of up to 99 : 1. Due to the framework‘s capacity to adsorb and concentrate gases, the catalytic reactions occur under room temperature and pressure, eliminating the need for the high temperature and pressures typically required in homogeneous systems. This study show that Zr–MOF can be a unique platform for synthesizing unusual catalytic species that cannot exist in solutions for meaningful chemical transformations and elucidate valuable structural information pertaining to metal‐based catalysis.

S vacancies and heterojunction modulated MoS2/C@Fe3O4 towards improved full-spectrum photo-Fenton catalysis: Enhanced interfacial charge transfer and NIR absorption

Fe3O4-based core–shell/heterojunction composites exhibit favorable photothermal catalytic performance in environmental remediation, but limited by the weak interface electron transport efficiency and poor near infrared (NIR) absorption capacity. Herein, Sv-MoS2/C@Fe3O4 core–shell composites were prepared for the first time by coating S vacancies-bearing MoS2 (Sv-MoS2) on the surface of carbon-decorated Fe3O4 microspheres (C@Fe3O4) derived from copper slag-based polymer microspheres and was used as photothermal catalyst to activate H2O2 towards chlortethromycin hydrochloride (CTC) elimination from wastewater. By virtue of the synergistic effect of the petal-like Sv-MoS2, carbon-decorated layer and multi light reflection in porous microspheres, Sv-MoS2/C@Fe3O4 exhibited excellent full spectrum absorption and carrier migration efficiency, with catalytic activity of 0.149 min−1 and H2O2 utilization rate of 93.6 %. The degradation rate is 3.9 and 3.1 times of C@Fe3O4 and MoS2/C@Fe3O4 under full light irradiation which can heat the solution from room temperature to 72.4 °C. This excellent catalytic performance is mainly originated from that the S-type heterostructure promotes the charge separation, transfer and redox ability, and enhances catalytic oxidation by regulating electron density of the interfacial carbon and reducing the energy barrier of H2O2 activation through S vacancies. Moreover, the decorated carbon layer can serve as a hot core to provide heat to Sv-MoS2 and enhance the collision chance of photogenerated carriers, thus improving the catalytic performance of Sv-MoS2/C@Fe3O4. This work provides new strategies for constructing heterojunction materials with fast electron transport efficiency and using solar energy for environmental remediation.

Metal-Organic Framework-Induced Rh Monocoodination on Diphosphine Ligand Enables Catalytic Hydroformylation of Aliphatic Olefins at Room Temperature and Pressure.

Persistent challenges in hydroformylation of olefins include controlling regioselectivity, particularly for short aliphatic olefins and conducting reactions under ambient conditions. We report here the synthesis of monophosphine-Rh complexes on a typical chelated diphosphine ligand mediated by a Zr-MOF through isolating a pair of phosphorus atoms. We demonstrate that single-crystal X-ray diffraction can elucidate the structural transformation of the Rh catalyst during olefin hydroformylation, providing valuable information on active site reconstruction during catalysis. The Rh-MOF catalyst demonstrates excellent catalytic and recyclable performance in the hydroformylation of short aliphatic olefins with linear to branched ratios of up to 99 : 1. Due to the framework's capacity to adsorb and concentrate gases, the catalytic reactions occur under room temperature and pressure, eliminating the need for the high temperature and pressures typically required in homogeneous systems. This study show that Zr-MOF can be a unique platform for synthesizing unusual catalytic species that cannot exist in solutions for meaningful chemical transformations and elucidate valuable structural information pertaining to metal-based catalysis.

Facile and scalable synthesis of N-doped carbon based Ni electrocatalyst for efficient CO2 reduction to CO

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into valuable chemical products could be realized by reasonable design of effective electrocatalysts with atomically dispersed active sites, but the task presents challenges for chemistry because of the lack of facile and scalable synthetic route. Therefore nitrogen-doped porous carbon supported Ni electrocatalyst is presented via a facile synthetic method. In the first step, commercial carbon black was oxidized by HNO3 to generate organic group followed by absorption of Ni ions. Secondly, calcination under NH3 atmosphere led to N doped carbon based Ni catalyst which exhibited excellent catalytic performance with approximate 95 % Faradaic efficiency for CO, which is helpful for chemists to reasonable design and scalable preparation of economical and efficient catalysts.

Bismuth Metal Porphyrin Framework Doped RuO2 Derived Bi2O3-RuO2@C Composites for Highly Selective CO2 Electroreduction

In electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR), the design of electrocatalysts with high efficiency and selectivity is very important and challenging. In this paper, a ternary composite consisting of ruthenium dioxide and bismuth metal porphyrin-based organic framework (Bi-TCPP MOF)-derived bismuth trioxide and C skeleton has been proposed (denoted as Bi2O3-RuO2@C). Nanoscale RuO2 and Bi2O3 particles are uniformly distributed on the C skeleton. The precursor bismuth metal porphyrin-based organic framework restricts the localized growth of Bi2O3 in the framework, while the unique, highly-conjugated system anchors the doped RuO2 particles, resulting in a uniform distribution of both active sites and hole-enrichment centers. Meanwhile, the Bi-TCPP MOF-derived carbon skeleton has good electrical conductivity, and the macroporous structure also facilitates the gas transport, which leads to the synthesis of Bi2O3-RuO2@C as an electrocatalyst for CO2RR and exhibits excellent catalytic performance and high selectivity for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction to methane (CO2-CH4). The peak Faraday efficiency of Bi2O3-RuO2@C for catalyzing the reduction of CO2-CH4 can reach 66.95% when the doped RuO2 content is 20%. Importantly, this work opens up new horizons for metal ratio regulation in constructing efficient catalytic systems derived from MOFs.

Optically selective catalyst design with minimized thermal emission for facilitating photothermal catalysis

Converting solar energy into fuels is pursued as an attractive route to reduce dependence on fossil fuel. In this context, photothermal catalysis is a very promising approach through converting photons into heat to drive catalytic reactions. There are mainly three key factors that govern the photothermal catalysis performance: maximized solar absorption, minimized thermal emission and excellent catalytic property of catalyst. However, the previous research has focused on improving solar absorption and catalytic performance of catalyst, largely neglected the optimization of thermal emission. Here, we demonstrate an optically selective catalyst based Ti3C2Tx Janus design, that enables minimized thermal emission, maximized solar absorption and good catalytic activity simultaneously, thereby achieving excellent photothermal catalytic performance. When applied to Sabatier reaction and reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) as demonstrations, we obtain an approximately 300% increase in catalytic yield through reducing the thermal emission of catalyst by ~70% under the same irradiation intensity. It is worth noting that the CO2 methanation yield reaches 3317.2 mmol gRu−1 h−1 at light power of 2 W cm−2, setting a performance record among catalysts without active supports. We expect that this design opens up a new pathway for the development of high-performance photothermal catalysts.