Rapid Hydrogen Spillover in Alternating Magnetic Fields Enables Efficient Reduction of CO2 to CO

Considerable efforts are needed to meet the requirements of high activity and high selectivity at low temperatures for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Here, we apply an alternating magnetic field (AMF) to a magnetic plum pudding model (FeCo@FeCoOx@C) catalyst for the RWGS reaction, which results in a CO2 conversion of 74.2% at 376 °C and a CO selectivity as high as nearly 100%. Through in situ studies, catalytic and kinetic data, and theoretical modeling, we demonstrated that electromagnetic induction enriches the catalyst surface with electrons, thereby enhancing the adsorption and activation of CO2 at the heterojunction interface. The induced electric field increases the migration speed of active hydrogen species by nearly 20 times, which is propitious to the full contact between CO2 and active hydrogen, while simultaneously restricting the deep hydrogenation of reactants into methane. The AMF synergistic magnetic induction catalyst presents a strategy and opportunity for efficient catalytic hydrogenation, hydrogen evolution, and hydrogen storage under mild conditions.