Synergistic catalyst with Cu single atoms and Ni nanoparticles for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to methanol under ambient pressure

Methanol synthesis from CO 2 hydrogenation is a promising route for carbon–neutral fuel production, but conventional Cu-based catalysts suffer from poor activity at low pressure. Herein, we report a cost-effective and scalable dual-site Ni n /Cu 1 -A catalyst, designed by integrating Ni nanoparticles (NPs) with Cu single atoms (SAs), for CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol at ambient pressure. The obtained Ni n /Cu 1 -A catalyst achieves a remarkable methanol STY of 665.7 μmol g cat -1 h −1 at 240 °C and 0.1 MPa, significantly outperforming both monometallic Cu 1 -A (199.7 μmol g cat -1 h −1 ) and Ni n -A (38.4 μmol g cat -1 h −1 ) catalysts. Further investigations reveal that Ni NPs facilitate hydrogen activation and spillover, while Cu SAs serve as the primary active sites for CO 2 reduction to methanol, effectively promoting the formate-mediated reaction pathway. This synergistic interaction leads to a substantial enhancement in CO 2 -to-methanol conversion. This work develops an efficient catalyst for CO 2 hydrogenation under mild conditions and provides a promising strategy for distributed green methanol synthesis in small-scale systems, enabling sustainable CO 2 utilization through renewable energy integration.