Efficient hydrogen production from formic acid over Ag@AgPd nanotriangulars at room temperature

Abstract

Hydrogen with advantages of high energy density, zero pollution and zero carbon dioxide emissions is regarded as a carrier of clean energy for replacing fossil fuels. Therefore, the development of a high activity, selectivity and stability catalyst for H2 production remains a great challenge. Herein, we report a new Ag@AgPdx nanotriangulars catalysts via immobilizing Pd atoms onto the surface of Ag nanotriangulars, for H2 production from formic acid (FA) at room temperature, with superior catalytic activity and stability over commercial Pd/C and Pt/C. The in-situ DRIFT results shown the FA dehydrogenation process over Ag@AgPd0.8 nanotriangulars, first the HCOOH* was rapidly converted to HCOO*, and finally to CO2*, which explained the fact that Ag@AgPd0.8 nanotriangulars have high activity and selectivity for FA dehydrogenation. This strategy opens up a new way to design effective catalysts for efficient H2 production from FA dehydrogenation to meet the requirement and applications of fuel cell.