Exploring the Effects of the Interaction of Carbon and MoS2 Catalyst on CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol

Hydrogenation of CO2 to form methanol utilizing green hydrogen is a promising route to realizing carbon neutrality. However, the development of catalyst with high activity and selectivity to methanol from the CO2 hydrogenation is still a challenge due to the chemical inertness of CO2 and its characteristics of multi-path conversion. Herein, a series of highly active carbon-confining molybdenum sulfide (MoS2@C) catalysts were prepared by the in-situ pyrolysis method. In comparison with the bulk MoS2 and MoS2/C, the stronger interaction between MoS2 and the carbon layer was clearly generated. Under the optimized reaction conditions, MoS2@C showed better catalytic performance and long-term stability. The MoS2@C catalyst could sustain around 32.4% conversion of CO2 with 94.8% selectivity of MeOH for at least 150 h.

Automated summary

Utilizing green hydrogen for the hydrogenation of CO2 to form methanol is a promising route for achieving carbon neutrality. However, developing a catalyst with high activity and selectivity for methanol production from CO2 hydrogenation is challenging due to the chemical inertness of CO2 and its multi-path conversion characteristics. In this study, highly active carbon-confining molybdenum sulfide (MoS2@C) catalysts were prepared and showed improved catalytic performance and long-term stability. The MoS2@C catalyst achieved a sustained conversion of approximately 32.4% of CO2 with a selectivity of 94.8% towards MeOH for at least 150 hours.