Single‑Atom Strategy Keeps Nickel Active in Sulfur‑Rich Methane Production

Nickel is a stellar catalyst for converting carbon monoxide and dioxide into methane, but it has a fatal flaw: it grabs sulfur so tightly that the catalyst gets poisoned.
Scientists have solved this by introducing single ruthenium atoms into the nickel lattice, effectively creating a decoy that protects the active sites.

• How it works
• Ruthenium atoms attract sulfur because they pull a bit more electron density.
• Once sulfur binds to ruthenium, the strong interaction prevents it from dissociating into reactive fragments that would poison nickel.
• This keeps nearby nickel sites clean and fully active for methane production.