CO2 Hydrogenation to Formate by Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on N-Incorporated Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Abstract

Development of a heterogeneous catalyst capable of selective transformation of CO2 to valuable products still remains a challenge. In this article, we account for the surfactant-directed synthesis of a new framework-incorporated nitrogen-containing periodic mesoporous organosilica nanosphere (NPMO). A thoroughly characterized N-incorporated hybrid PMO was utilized as a platform for stabilizing well-dispersed and easily accessible Pd nanoparticles (Pd-NPMO) without using any stabilizing agents or expensive dendrimers. Further, this bifunctional hybrid catalyst has been demonstrated to heterogeneously catalyze aqueous phase CO2 hydrogenation (CO2/H2 ratio 1:3) for the direct synthesis of formate under 4 MPa pressure and at 100 °C. To validate the superior performance of the Pd-NPMO catalyst, we compared the activity with Pd-SBA-15 catalysts, and the results showed a 10-fold increase in turnover frequency of 108 h–1 using Pd on NPMO which envisaged the crucial role of nitrogen sites in this catalyst to boost the CO2 valorization to formate.