Solar-Driven Methane Decomposition for Carbon Nanofibers

Solar-driven catalytic methane decomposition (SCMD) is a promising process that utilizes sunlight as an energy source to convert methane to hydrogen and carbon materials. However, in most current studies of SCMD, the carbon materials generated on the catalyst surface are primarily disordered structural carbon or graphitic carbon. In this work, we prepared a series of NiCo alloy catalysts supported by Al2O3, using NiCoAl ternary layered double hydroxides as the precursors. Remarkably, we obtained the production of carbon nanofibers for the first time under light illumination without any additional heat input. Additionally, we investigated the effects of varying active components on light absorption and SCMD performance. Moreover, we investigated the effects of varying active components on light absorption and SCMD performance. Additionally, we elucidated the mechanism of the photothermal reaction on these NiCo alloy catalysts, demonstrating how the catalyst absorbs light to drive methane decomposition through a series of controlled experiments. We further confirmed the photothermal catalytic reaction mechanism by comparing the solar-driven and thermally driven methane decomposition processes through in situ infrared detection. This work will serve as a valuable reference in the fields of methane decomposition and photothermal reactions.