Niobium and Titanium Carbides (MXenes) as Superior Photothermal Supports for CO2 Photocatalysis

The conversion of CO2 into fuels and feedstock chemicals via photothermal catalysis holds promise for efficient solar energy utilization to tackle the global energy shortage and climate change. Despite recent advances, it is of emerging interest to explore promising materials with excellent photo-thermal properties to boost the performance of photothermal CO2 catalysis. Here, we report the discovery of MXene materials as superior photothermal supports for metal nanoparticles. As a proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate that Nb2C and Ti3C2, two typical MXene materials, can enhance the photothermal effect and thus boost the photothermal catalytic activity of Ni nanoparticles. A record CO2 conversion rate of 8.50 mol center dot gNi(-1)center dot h(-1) is achieved for Nb2C-nanosheet-supported Ni nanoparticles under intense illumination. Our study bridges the gap between photothermal MXene materials and photothermal CO2 catalysis toward more efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversions and stimulates the interest in MXene-supported metal nanoparticles for other heterogeneous catalytic reactions, particularly driven by sunlight.

Automated summary

This study explores MXene materials as excellent photothermal supports for enhancing the catalytic activity of Ni nanoparticles in photothermal CO2 conversion. Nb2C and Ti3C2 MXene materials supported Ni nanoparticles achieved a record CO2 conversion rate under intense illumination, bridging the gap between photothermal MXene materials and photothermal CO2 catalysis for more efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversions.