Highly Active, Durable Ultrathin MoTe2 Layers for the Electroreduction of CO2 to CH4.

The electroreduction of CO2 to CH4 is a highly desirable, challenging research topic. In this study, an electrocatalytic system comprising ultrathin MoTe2 layers and an ionic liquid electrolyte for the reduction of CO2 to methane is reported, efficiently affording methane with a faradaic efficiency of 83 ± 3% (similar to the best Cu-based catalysts reported thus far) and a durable activity of greater than 45 h at a relatively high current density of 25.6 mA cm-2 (-1.0 VRHE ). The results obtained can facilitate research on the design of other transition-metal dichalcogenide electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO2 to valuable fuels.