Chromic hydroxide-decorated palladium nanoparticles confined by amine-functionalized mesoporous silica for rapid dehydrogenation of formic acid

Formic acid (FA), one of the products of biomass conversion and CO2 reduction, has attracted much attention as a renewable liquid hydrogen carrier with a high hydrogen content (4.4 wt%). Searching for efficient catalysts to realize hydrogen evolution from FA are highly desired but challenging. Herein, ultrafine and mono-dispersed Pd-Cr(OH)3 nanoparticles (1.3 nm) loaded on amine-functionalized mesoporous silica (AFMS) have been prepared and applied as an effective catalyst for rapid hydrogen production from additive-free FA. The as-synthesized Pd-Cr(OH)3/AFMS catalysts exhibited efficient catalytic activity and 100% hydrogen selectivity and conversion toward FA dehydrogenation reaction without additives, giving an initial TOF value of 3112 h-1 at 323 K, which is comparable to most of the highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts reported so far under similar reaction conditions. This work provides a feasible idea for the design metal hydroxide-modified Pd-based efficient heterogeneous catalyst, which is expected to enhance the application of FA in fuel cells.