Dalian Institute Scientists Engineer High-Efficiency Cobalt-Molybdenum Catalyst to Convert CO2 into Industrial Formate

A new cobalt-molybdenum catalyst from DICP converts CO2 to formate with 99% selectivity, providing a stable, high-efficiency solution for carbon utilization.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 8:55 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics

Advancing Carbon Capture Through Heterogeneous Catalysis

The conversion of carbon dioxide into formate represents a critical frontier in green chemistry, as it transforms a primary greenhouse gas into a versatile industrial precursor. While the scientific community has long explored non-precious metal catalysts for this hydrogenation process, low intrinsic reactivity has historically stalled practical applications. Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have addressed this limitation by engineering a unique lattice structure. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, demonstrate how atomic-level modifications can significantly enhance the efficiency of carbon mitigation technologies.

The Role of Lattice-Confined Cobalt Atoms

The breakthrough centers on the strategic placement of cobalt atoms within a molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) lattice. By creating highly active sulfur vacancy (SV)-confined Co-Mo sites, the team successfully modulated the electronic environment of the catalyst. Because cobalt has a lower coordination number than molybdenum, the bonding interaction between the lattice-confined pair and surface oxygen or sulfur species is weakened. This specific atomic arrangement facilitates the removal of these species during the hydrogenation process, effectively "opening" the active sites required for the chemical reaction to occur.

Mechanical Insights into Formate Selectivity

The newly exposed SV-confined Co-Mo sites operate with a high degree of precision, favoring the formation of formate over other carbon-based byproducts. The catalyst's structure allows for moderate CO2 adsorption across both the edges and the basal planes of the material. This specific adsorption strength is key to suppressing C-O bond cleavage, which would otherwise lead to less desirable products. By maintaining the integrity of the carbon-oxygen bond while adding hydrogen, the catalyst ensures that the resulting output is nearly pure formate, achieving a selectivity rate exceeding 99%.