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Driving metal-cluster-catalyzed high-temperature chemical reactions by sunlight holds promise for the development of negative-carbon-footprint industrial catalysis, which has yet often been hindered by the poor ability of metal clusters to harvest and utilize the full spectrum of solar energy. Here, we report the preparation of Mo 2 TiC 2 MXene-supported Ru clusters (Ru/Mo 2 TiC 2 ) with pronounced broadband sunlight absorption ability and high sintering resistance. Under illumination of focused sunlight, Ru/Mo 2 TiC 2 can catalyze the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction to produce carbon monoxide from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen with enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability compared to their nanoparticle counterparts. Notably, the CO production rate of MXene-supported Ru clusters reached 4.0 mol·g Ru -1 ·h -1 , which is among the best reported so far for photothermal RWGS catalysts. Detailed studies suggest that the production of methane is kinetically inhibited by the rapid desorption of CO from the surface of the Ru clusters.

The conversion of CO 2 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 photothermal properties to boost the performance of photothermal CO 2 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 Nb 2 C and Ti 3 C 2 , two typical MXene materials, can enhance the photothermal effect and thus boost the photothermal catalytic activity of Ni nanoparticles. A record CO 2 conversion rate of 8.50 mol·g Ni -1 ·h -1 is achieved for Nb 2 C-nanosheet-supported Ni nanoparticles under intense illumination. Our study bridges the gap between photothermal MXene materials and photothermal CO 2 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.