The development of non-noble metal catalysts for efficient CO2 methanation reaction under mild conditions remains a significant challenge. Herein, a non-noble metal catalyst, cobalt nanoparticles (Co NPs) encapsulated within the hollow channels of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Co@CN-700) were prepared by a pyrolysis-reduction strategy for photothermal CO2 methanation. Remarkably, the Co@CN-700 catalyst achieved a prominent CH4 production rate of 199.4 mmol gcat−1 h−1 with near-unity selectivity (99.4%) and high CO2 conversion (85.8%) at 250 °C, which is outstanding comparing the catalysts reported. The electromagnetic simulation and density functional theory calculation demonstrated that the plasmonic resonance effect of Co NPs enhances the local electric field and thereby alters the intermediate states and rate-limiting step to facilitate CO2 methanation. This work offers a straightforward and effective approach for designing non-noble metal catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability.
