Hydrogen Evolution from Additive-Free Formic Acid Dehydrogenation Using Weakly Basic Resin-Supported Pd Catalyst.

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Hydrogen is a key clean energy vector, but safe storage and transport remain challenging.
• Formic acid (FA) offers high volumetric hydrogen density and is a safe chemical hydrogen carrier.
• Developing efficient heterogeneous catalysts for FA decomposition is crucial for its application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate weakly basic resins as supports for palladium (Pd) catalysts for formic acid dehydrogenation.
• To evaluate the catalytic activity and stability of different resin-supported Pd catalysts.
• To understand the structure-activity relationship and reaction mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Pd catalysts supported on three different weakly basic resins (D201, D301, D311) with varying functional groups.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance for FA dehydrogenation under atmospheric pressure (30-70 °C).
• Calculation of apparent activation energies and investigation of reaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Catalytic activity order: Pd/D201 > Pd/D301 > Pd/D311.
• Pd/D201 achieved a high turnover frequency of 547.6 h⁻¹ at 50 °C.
• Pd/D201 exhibited the lowest apparent activation energy (42.9 kJ mol⁻¹).

Conclusions:

• Weakly basic resins, especially D201 with -N⁺(CH₃)₃ functional groups, are effective supports for Pd catalysts in FA dehydrogenation.
• The catalyst support significantly influences catalytic activity and reaction kinetics.
• The findings provide insights into designing efficient catalysts for hydrogen storage using FA.