g-C3N4 supported metal (Pd, Ag, Pt) catalysts for hydrogen-production from formic acid

Abstract

g-C₃N₄ supported metal (Pd, Ag, Pt) catalysts were synthesized, and their catalytic performances for hydrogen-production from formic acid were evaluated. The Pd catalyst can effectively turn formic acid into H₂ and CO₂ with 100% selectivity at room temperature or even at a lower temperature. The catalysts were characterized with TEM, XPS, PXRD, ICP, Chemisorption, IR spectra and Raman spectra. The results indicate that the good catalytic performance of the catalysts could be attributed to the interaction between g-C₃N₄ and the metal nanoparticles: that is, the overlap between the d-orbitals of Pd and the π-conjugated system of g-C₃N₄. The effect of the interaction was verified by analyzing the contrasting catalytic performances of Pd/g-C₃N₄, Ag–Pd/g-C₃N₄, Pt–Pd/g-C₃N₄ and Pd/HTNTs (hydrogen titanate nanotubes) for hydrogen-production from formic acid.