Amine-functionalized carbon nanotubes supported NiAuPd nanoparticles as an efficient in-situ prepared catalyst for formic acid dehydrogenation

Hydrogen (H2) generation from formic acid (FA) decomposition is a promising route in practical application of hydrogen energy. As a promising H2 supplier, besides the advantage of high H2 content and excellent stability, FA can also be used as a mild reducing agent. Herein, an in-situ prepared NiAuPd nanoparticles (NPs) supported on amine-functionalized carbon nanotubes (NiAuPd/NH2-CNTs) with FA as the reducing agent is successfully developed at room temperature. The as-prepared NiAuPd/NH2-CNTs are directly used for the catalytic decomposition of FA, exhibiting excellent activity and 100% H2 selectivity with the initial turnover frequency (TOFinitial) value of 699.1 and 3006.1 mol H2 mol Pd-1 h-1 at 303 and 333 K, respectively. Moreover, the additive sodium formate (SF) can further facilitate the reduction process and enhance the catalytic performance, with the TOFinitial value of 4391.1 mol H2 mol Pd-1 h-1 at 333 K, which are comparable to most of the reported heterogeneous catalysts with the complicated post-treatment. The excellent catalytic performance of NiAuPd/NH2-CNTs is mainly attributed to the high dispersion of NPs and the boost effect of -NH2 group on O–H cleavage. This work provides a feasible strategy to design in-situ prepared catalysts for the efficient high-quality H2 generation from FA for fuel cells application.