Highly Efficient Sunlight‐Driven CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol Over NiZn Intermetallic Catalysts Under Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract The synthesis of solar methanol through direct carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) hydrogenation using solar energy is of great importance in advancing a sustainable energy economy. In this study, a non‐precious NiZn intermetallic/ZnO catalyst (NxZy) is reported to catalyze the hydrogenation of CO 2 to methanol using sunlight irradiation (≤ 1 sun). The NiZn/ZnO interface is identified as the active site to stabilize the key intermediates of HxCO * . At ambient pressure, the N1Z2 catalyst demonstrates a methanol production rate of 127.5 µmol g −1 h −1 from solar‐driven CO 2 hydrogenation, with a remarkable 100% selectivity toward methanol in the total organic products. Notably, this production rate stands as the highest record for photothermic CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol in continuous‐flow reactors with sunlight as the only requisite energy input. This discovery not only paves the way for the development of novel catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol but also marks a significant stride toward full solar‐driven chemical energy storage.