CO2 hydrogenation to HCOOH catalyzed by aqueous Pd needle assembly

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion to liquid fuels has attracted great attention due to the current environmental concerns and energy crisis. However, the selective conversion of CO 2 to target liquids is formidably challenging due to the chemical inertness of CO 2 . We theoretically and experimentally confirm that the bending of Pd−Pd bond can breaks the asymmetric potential well and facilitate CO 2 adsorption. We have successfully synthesized a new class of Pd nanoneedles via a “close edges and open corners” process, with a magic angle of 60 o between the main trunk and branch, and realized the selective CO 2 hydrogenation to formic acid (HCOOH) at room temperature in water. Impressively, a HCOOH productivity of ~250 mmol g −1 in 100 h while maintaining HCOOH selectivity over 99%. This work bridges nanostructure design and catalytic application, which may open a new avenue for selective CO 2 conversion in an elegant manner.