Hollow P, N dual-doped mesoporous carbon supported Pd nanoparticles for efficient catalytic H2 generation from formic acid

Abstract

The dehydrogenation of formic acid to generate molecular hydrogen (H₂) is an environmentally sound and promising method to supply safe H₂ energy. In this study, a catalyst composed of Pd supported on a hollow phosphorus and nitrogen doped carbon material (Pd@HPNC-700, where 700 indicates the pyrolysis temperature) catalysed H₂ generation with a tolerable TOF value (1191.45 h⁻¹) owing to its acceptable specific surface area (203.6 m² g⁻¹). This study reveals the synergistic effect between P and N heteroatoms and provides a facile strategy to design efficient mesoporous hollow P and N co-doped heterogeneous supports for uniform immobilization of Pd nanoparticles for the generation of H₂ through dehydrogenation of formic acid. The use of glucose as a biodegradable carbonous source is one of the green aspects of this protocol.