Acceptorless ambient-temperature dehydrogenation and reversible hydrogenation of N-heterocycles over single-atom Co-N-C catalysts

Reversible hydrogen storage via Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) is one of the key technologies for efficient utilization of hydrogen energy. How to construct efficient dehydrogenation/hydrogenation catalysts that enable low-temperature catalysis still remains challenging. Herein, we present the design and construction of single-atom Co-N-C(x) catalysts allowing significantly improved acceptorless dehydrogenation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (THQ). By varying the ligand/Co ratio, the optimal Co-N-C(1.5) can achieve 97.5% dehydrogenated product and 0.82 h −1 TOF value at ambient temperature, overperforming many reported non-noble metal even noble metal catalysts. This catalyst exhibits good recyclability and substrate versatility, enabling ambient temperature dehydrogenation of various N-heterocycles and efficient reverse hydrogenation of aromatic N-heterocycles, thus achieving the loop of reversible hydrogen storage. The active catalyst centers consist of specific Co-N x moieties and nitrogen species within the carbon support. Controlled experiments reveal that the different performance of Co-N-C(x) is determined by density of the Co-N x , and the rate-determining step of THQ dehydrogenation is correlated with the bond cleavages in surface-bound THQ. This work offers a promising pathway for energy-efficient and cost-effective hydrogen energy utilization under practical conditions.