Fast hydrogen evolution by formic acid decomposition over AuPd/TiO2-NC with enhanced stability

Well-dispersed AuPd nanoparticles were immobilized on TiO2-NC supports derived from NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and used as highly active, stable catalysts for hydrogen production from formic acid under mild conditions. The highest total turnover frequency, i.e., 3207 h−1, for formic acid dehydrogenation was achieved with Au2Pd8/TiO2-NC-800 as the catalyst at 60 °C; this is 1.4 times that achieved with Au2Pd8/TiO2–C-800 under the same conditions. The excellent performance of the Au2Pd8/TiO2-NC-800 catalyst originates from the high anatase TiO2 content, pyridinic N and oxygen vacancies in the support, the small size and alloying effect of the AuPd nanoparticles, and the metal–support synergistic effect. Doping the support with N improves the catalyst stability because N prevents metal particle aggregation to some extent. These results provide guidelines for the future development and applications of catalysts based on TiO2 and metal–organic-framework-derived carbon-based materials.