AgPd-MnOx supported on carbon nanospheres: an efficient catalyst for dehydrogenation of formic acid

Hydrogen is widely regarded as a future sustainable and clean energy feedstock. Formic acid is considered as one of the most promising hydrogen carriers. However, efficient and selective dehydrogenation from formic acid under mild conditions constitutes a major challenge because of the ease poisoning of catalysts with CO formed as an intermediate during formic acid decomposition. Here, we develop a new heterogeneous catalyst composed of bimetallic AgPd and MnOx nanoparticles immobilized on biomass-derived carbon nanospheres with well-controlled nano-morphologies. In this catalytic system, MnOx nanoparticles could act as a CO-sponge and enhance both the catalytic activity and CO-resistivity of AgPd nanoparticles. The prepared catalyst exhibits 100% H2 selectivity and excellent catalytic activity, greatly facilitating the hydrogen generation from formic acid with the turnover frequency of 3558 h−1 at 50 °C. Moreover, this new catalytic system shows very high stability, which makes it reusable. The exceptional performance of the new catalytic system presents itself as an excellent contender for efficient hydrogen production from formic acid. This work opens up a new way for the development of high-performance metal nanocatalysts.