Angewandte Chemie: Featured in Two Wiley “Hot Topic” Collections on Surfaces and Interfaces & Carbon Dioxide
March, 3, 2026
Our latest study, published in Angewandte Chemie (DOI: 10.1002/anie.8425918), has been selected for inclusion in two Wiley “Hot Topic” collections: Surfaces and Interfaces and Carbon Dioxide. This distinction underscores the relevance of the work in both interfacial materials science and CO2 conversion research.
The paper presents a rational design strategy for heterostructured photocatalysts, reporting the synthesis of a Ni/Ti3C2Clx MXene heterojunction via Lewis acid molten-salt etching. Ultrathin Ni platelets are firmly anchored to the MXene substrate through interfacial TiNi3 bonding, enabling strong electronic coupling and an efficient S-scheme charge transfer pathway.
Advanced spectroscopic analysis confirms rapid interfacial carrier dynamics and effective charge separation. Under photothermal conditions, the cooperative interaction between metallic Ni, surface NiOx species, and the conductive MXene support enables controlled CO2 hydrogenation, regulating selectivity between methane (CH4) and methanol (CH3OH).
Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that surface-state evolution at the Ni–NiOx interface governs adsorption energetics and reaction barriers. Moderately oxidized interfacial ensembles favour methanol-forming intermediates, while excessive oxidation suppresses CH3OH formation.
The study reinforces how precise interfacial engineering can steer catalytic pathways and enhance performance in sustainable fuel production.
Congratulations to Dawid Kruger, María Cabrero-Antonino, Ana Primo and Hermenegildo Garcia, and our collaborators Silvio Osella, Feiyan Xu and Jiaguo Yu for this achievement!
