PdAu bimetallic nanoparticles anchored on amine-modified mesoporous ZrSBA-15 for dehydrogenation of formic acid under ambient conditions

A series of amine-modified ZrSBA-15 supported PdAu bimetallic nanoparticle (NP) catalysts were prepared, and their catalytic properties were studied for the dehydrogenation of formic acid in aqueous solution without any additives. The catalytic activities of the supported PdAu catalysts varied with the change of amines and Pd/Au ratios. The optimized catalyst achieves a very high efficiency under ambient conditions, and even works well at a temperature near the freezing point of the solution. During the preparation process of the catalysts, different organic amines could coordinate with the cations of Au and Pd to produce metal complexes with different structure stabilities and redox properties, and finally result in the formation of PdAu NPs with different particle sizes and dispersion states. The co-existence of small PdAu alloy NPs and the suitable amino groups within the single solid support could provide highly efficient bifunctional sites for synergistically activating FA molecules to produce H2 and CO2.