Modification of Pd for formic acid decomposition by support grafted functional groups

Abstract Formic acid is proposed as a storage material to supply hydrogen gas for small portable fuel cell devices. However catalysts for its decomposition must be highly active and selective to provide a high quantity of hydrogen and carbon dioxide at ambient conditions but prevent any CO formation that can poison the catalysts. In this paper we report the functionalization of high surface area metal oxides with amine groups, which are then utilized as catalyst support to host Pd nanoparticles. It is demonstrated that the electronic and geometric properties of Pd nanoparticles can be substantially modified by these functionalized supports, resulting in improved activity and selectivity performance for the formic acid dehydrogenation.