A Derivative of ZnIn₂S₄ Nanosheet Supported Pd Boosts Selective CO₂ Hydrogenation

CO2 hydrogenation to value-added chemicals has been considered as a promising way to reduce CO2 emission and alleviate energy crisis. However, the high-efficiency CO2 hydrogenation process is driven by the current drawbacks of low activity and/or selectivity. Herein, it is demonstrated that 2D S-doped ZnInOx, which evolves from the calcination of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets (ZIS NSs), can serve as a functional support for Pd nanoparticles (NPs) to promote the selective CO2 hydrogenation to CH3OH. Detailed investigations show that ZnIn2S4 will evolve into In2O3 and amorphous S-doped ZnO, on which Pd NPs are preferentially located due to the strong electrophilicity of S. Consequently, the strong interaction between Pd NPs and amorphous S-doped ZnO prevents Pd NPs from sintering and facilitates the selective CO2 hydrogenation to produce CH3OH. The optimal catalyst shows a CO2 conversion of 12.7% with a CH3OH selectivity of 87.4% at 280 degrees C. This study provides a facile route to regulate catalytic supports and controllably load active species, which may attract great research interests in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis.