Xiong Su

A Schiff base modified gold catalyst for green and efficient H2 production from formic acid

Formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation is an atom-economic method for H2 production, while diluted FA with extra additives is generally required in heterogeneous dehydrogenation of FA. Here, we report a novel Schiff base functionalized gold catalyst, which showed excellent catalytic performances for H2 production in catalytic dehydrogenation of high-concentration FA without any additives. The record turnover frequency (TOF) was as high as 4368 h−1 in 10 M FA solutions, and was up to 2882 h−1 even in 99% FA at a mild temperature of 50 °C. According to characterization results, a synergetic mechanism for C–H activation between the protonated Schiff base and electronegative gold nanoparticles (NPs) at the interface was suggested to be responsible for its unusual catalytic activity toward H2 production from FA.

Palladium on Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon: A Bifunctional Catalyst for Formate-Based, Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen Storage.

The lack of safe, efficient, and economical hydrogen storage technologies is a hindrance to the realization of the hydrogen economy. Reported herein is a reversible formate-based carbon-neutral hydrogen storage system that is established over a novel catalyst comprising palladium nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon. The support was fabricated by a hard template method and nitridated under a flow of ammonia. Detailed analyses demonstrate that this bicarbonate/formate redox equilibrium is promoted by the cooperative role of the doped nitrogen functionalities and the well-dispersed, electron-enriched palladium nanoparticles.

The influence of alkali-treated zeolite on the oxide–zeolite syngas conversion process

The oxide–zeolite process has been attracting widespread attention due to its promising performance in syngas conversion to hydrocarbons with high selectivity and stability. Here, a composite catalyst containing Zn–Cr oxide and ZSM-5 zeolite provides a competitive option in the one-step conversion of syngas into C5+ hydrocarbons. In order to figure out the influence of the pore structure and acidity of zeolite on the oxide–zeolite process, alkali treatments on ZSM-5 are carried out. The treated ZSM-5 shows increased selectivity for gasoline fractions. With a set of structural and morphological characterization techniques, the formation of a hierarchical porous structure is demonstrated, which is favorable for the diffusion of heavy products. Furthermore, an increase in the number of Lewis acid sites, acting as the main active sites for the polymerization, cyclization and aromatization reactions, also contributes to the promotion of C5+ hydrocarbon production. It must be noted, however, that a certain amount of Bronsted acid sites is necessary for the tandem transformation of CH3OCH3 intermediates, which may further affect the CO conversion.