Electron-tailored amorphous nickel-tungsten boride catalysts for high-efficiency photothermal carbon dioxide methanation

The urgent need for sustainable carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) utilization has driven the development of photothermal catalysis as an efficient strategy for solar-driven CO 2 methanation. Herein, we report an amorphous nickel‑tungsten boride (NiWB) catalyst that achieves exceptional conversion of CO 2 to methane (CH 4 ) under mild conditions without external heating. The optimized NiWB catalyst exhibits a remarkable CH 4 production rate of 19.32 mmol g −1  h −1 with 92.50 % selectivity under full-spectrum illumination (2.0 W cm −2 ), surpassing most reported Ni-based catalysts. Structural and electronic characterizations reveal that the amorphous framework provides abundant unsaturated active sites, while W incorporation enhances interfacial interactions and modulates the electronic structure of Ni sites, promoting H 2 and CO 2 activation. In situ Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFS) analysis confirms a formate-mediated reaction pathway, and kinetic studies demonstrate that photothermal synergy significantly reduces activation energy compared to pure thermal catalysis. Furthermore, the formation of stable W B bonds in amorphous catalyst inhibits crystallization, improving catalyst durability. This work highlights the synergistic advantages of amorphous engineering and electronic modulation in designing efficient photothermal catalysts for sustainable CO 2 valorization.