Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid at Room Temperature: Boosting Palladium Nanoparticle Efficiency by Coupling with Pyridinic‐Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon

The use of formic acid (FA) to produce molecular H₂ is a promising means of efficient energy storage in a fuel‐cell‐based hydrogen economy. To date, there has been a lack of heterogeneous catalyst systems that are sufficiently active, selective, and stable for clean H₂ production by FA decomposition at room temperature. For the first time, we report that flexible pyridinic‐N‐doped carbon hybrids as support materials can significantly boost the efficiency of palladium nanoparticle for H₂ generation; this is due to prominent surface electronic modulation. Under mild conditions, the optimized engineered Pd/CN_0.25 catalyst exhibited high performance in both FA dehydrogenation (achieving almost full conversion, and a turnover frequency of 5530 h^?1 at 25 °C) and the reversible process of CO₂ hydrogenation into FA. This system can lead to a full carbon‐neutral energy cycle.     

A 3D MIL-101@rGO composite as catalyst for efficient conversion of straw cellulose into valuable organic acid

Efficient conversion of straw cellulose to chemicals or fuels is an attracting topic today for the utilization of biomass to substitute for fossil resources. The development of catalysts is of vital importance.In this work, a composite catalyst metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) immobilized on three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide(3D-r GO) were synthesized by in situ growth of the MIL-101(Cr) within the 3Dr GO matrix. The supporting of 3D-r GO guaranteed the dispersion and acid site density of MI...     

Poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) supported iron(III) catalyst for selective oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid with H2O2

Poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) supported iron(III) catalysts were developed for the selective oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid in the presence of H₂O₂. The influence of the DVB content on the capacity of immobilized Fe(III) and on the catalytic activities of the polymeric complexes was investigated. The extent of Fe(III) uptake by the copolymers varied slightly with the concentration of DVB. The catalytic activities generally increase with increasing degree of crosslinker from 2 to 10% and decrease further with increasing the DVB content. Under the optimal conditions (80 °C, 6 h), the catalyst containing 10% DVB was found to be highly efficient in conversion of toluene to benzoic acid with 90% conversion and 96% selectivity.     

Aluminum(III) triflate-catalyzed selective oxidation of glycerol to formic acid with hydrogen peroxide

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel production and is an important readily available platform chemical. Valorization of glycerol into value-added chemicals has gained immense attention. Herein, we carried out the conversion of glycerol to formic acid and glycolic acid using H₂O₂ as an oxidant and metal (III) triflate-based catalytic systems. Aluminum(III) triflate was found to be the most efficient catalyst for the selective oxidation of glycerol to formic acid. A correlation between the catalytic activity of the metal cations and their hydrolysis constants (K_h) and water exchange rate constants was observed. At 70 °C, a formic acid yield of up to 72% could be attained within 12 h. The catalyst could be recycled at least five times with a high conversion rate, and hence can also be used for the selective oxidation of other biomass platform molecules. Reaction kinetics and ¹H NMR studies showed that the oxidation of glycerol (to formic acid) involved glycerol hydrolysis pathways with glyceric acid and glycolic acid as the main intermediate products. Both the [Al(OH)_x]ⁿ⁺ Lewis acid species and CF₃SO₃H Brønsted acid, which were generated by the in-situ hydrolysis of Al(OTf)₃, were responsible for glycerol conversion. The easy availability, high efficiency, and good recyclability of Al(OTf)₃ render it suitable for the selective oxidation of glycerol to high value-added products.     

Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Tandem Defunctionalization of Biorenewable Ferulic acid and Derivates into Bio‐Catechol

An efficient conversion of biorenewable ferulic acid into bio‐catechol has been developed. The transformation comprises two consecutive defunctionalizations of the substrate, that is, C?O (demethylation) and C?C (de‐2‐carboxyvinylation) bond cleavage, occurring in one step. The process only requires heating of ferulic acid with HCl (or H₂SO₄) as catalyst in pressurized hot water (250 °C, 50 bar N₂). The versatility is shown on a variety of other (biorenewable) substrates yielding up to 84 % di‐ (catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone) and trihydroxybenzenes (pyrogallol, hydroxyquinol), in most cases just requiring simple extraction as work‐up.     

Axial base‐controlled catalytic activity,oxidative stability and product selectivity of water‐insoluble manganese and iron porphyrins for oxidation of styrenes in water under green conditions

A series of water‐insoluble iron(III) and manganese(III) porphyrins, FeT(2‐CH₃)PPCl, FeT(4‐OCH₃)PPCl, FeT(2‐Cl)PPCl, FeTPPCl, MnT(2‐CH₃)PPOAc, MnT(4‐OCH₃)PPOAc, MnT(2‐Cl)PPOAc and MnTPPOAc, in the presence of imidazole (ImH), F^?, Cl^?, Br^? and acetate were used as catalysts for the aqueous‐phase heterogeneous oxidation of styrenes to the corresponding epoxides and aldehydes with sodium periodate. Also, the effect of various reaction parameters such as reaction time, molar ratio of catalyst to axial base, type of axial base, molar ratio of olefin to oxidant and nature of metal centre on the activity and oxidative stability of the catalysts and the product selectivity was investigated. Higher catalytic activities were found for the iron complexes. Interestingly, the selectivity towards the formation of epoxide and aldehyde (or acetophenone) was significantly influenced by the type of axial base. Furthermore, Br^? and ImH were found to be the most efficient co‐catalysts for the oxidation of olefins performed in the presence of the manganese and iron porphyrins, respectively. The optimized molar ratio of catalyst to axial base was different for various axial bases. Also, the order of co‐catalyst activity of the axial bases obtained in aqueous medium was different from that reported for organic solvents. The use of a convenient axial base under optimum reaction catalyst to co‐catalyst molar ratio in the presence of the manganese porphyrin gave the oxidative products with a conversion of ca 100% in a reaction time of less than 3 h. However, the catalytic activity of the iron porphyrins could not be effectively improved by increasing the catalyst to co‐catalyst molar ratio.     

Unprecedentedly High Formic Acid Dehydrogenation Activity on an Iridium Complex with an N,N′‐Diimine Ligand in Water

Hydrogen production from the dehydrogenation of formic acid (FA) is promising. Most of the current catalysts for FA dehydrogenation are effective only in the presence of bases or additives. We report here newly developed iridium complexes containing conjugated N,N′‐diimine ligands for FA dehydrogenation in water without the addition of bases or additives. A turnover frequency (TOF) of 487 500 h^?1 with [Cp*Ir( L1 )Cl]Cl ( L1 =2,2′‐bi‐2‐imidazoline) at 90 °C and a turnover number (TON) of 2 400 000 with in situ prepared catalyst from [IrCp*Cl₂]₂ and 2,2′‐bi‐1,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyrimidine ( L2 ) at 80 °C were obtained, the highest values reported for FA dehydrogenation to date. A mechanistic study reveals that the formation of [Ir‐H] intermediate species is the rate‐determining step in the catalytic cycle.     

乙酰丙酸选择性加氢合成γ-戊内酯中高效和可循环使用的Ni3Fe NPs@C 双金属催化剂

生物质经催化转化合成燃料及化学品是当前研究的热点.目前,生物质的催化转化主要聚焦于纤维素、半纤维素和木质素的解聚及其下游产物合成.其中,乙酰丙酸(LA)作为纤维素解聚的主要产物之一,是一种极具竞争力的平台化合物和重要的生物质转化中间体.LA通过催化转化可以合成各类高附加值的化学品,例如,通过催化加氢LA可选择性合成γ-戊内酯(GVL).所合成的GVL用途广泛,可作为绿色溶剂、食品、燃料添加剂、(塑料、高分子、烃类或者其它高附加值化学品)前驱体等.目前,LA-to-GVL的研究主要着眼于非均相催化体系,包括负载型贵金属和非贵金属催化剂体.其中,贵金属催化剂主要有Ru,Au,Pd,Rh,Ir和Pt,虽然催化效率高,条件温和,但是成本高,难以实现工业化.此外对于广泛使用的Ru/C催化剂,存在金属-载体间相互作用不强.活性组分易流失、导致催化剂稳定性差等问题;而非贵金属则普遍存在催化活性不佳及反应条件苛刻等缺点.因此,开发高效、稳定、反应条件温和且具有工业化应用前景的非贵金属催化剂具有显著的研究意义,这也是当前的研究趋势.在特定温度下,金属离子与碳基底存在较强的相互作用.鉴于此,本文通过一步碳热还原法合成了活性炭负载的Ni3Fe双金属催化剂(Ni3Fe NPs@C).该催化剂在LA-to-GVL转化体系中展现了直接加氢(DH)和转移加氢(TH)双功能催化特性.首先,考察了其在DH体系中的反应特性:在130oC和2 MPa氢压反应条件下经2 h反应,LA转化率达到93.8％,GVL选择性为95.5％,GVL产率是相应的单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂的6倍和40倍.此外,在TH催化反应体系中,在180oC,0.5 h和无外加氢源的反应条件下,以异丙醇为反应溶剂和供氢体,LA几乎完全转化为GVL,其反应效率同样相较于单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂大幅度提高.所合成的Ni3Fe NPs@C双金属催化剂DH和TH催化性能优于绝大多数报道的LA加氢贵金属和非贵金属催化剂.而且,该催化剂具有良好的循环利用性能,经过四次循环,其结构和化学状态没有发生明显的改变,稳定性明显优于商业化的Ru/C催化剂.此外,通过系统分析其催化性能以及材料结构,明确了该催化剂在LA的DH和TH反应体系中的活性位点,并提出了可能的反应路径.该研究为其它类型的DH和TH反应体系以及生物质高效转化过程提供了新的催化剂设计思路.并且这种催化剂及其制备方法简单、绿色,易于工业化推广和应用.     

Biocatalytic Oxidative Cascade for the Conversion of Fatty Acids into α‐Ketoacids via Internal H2O2 Recycling

The functionalization of bio‐based chemicals is essential to allow valorization of natural carbon sources. An atom‐efficient biocatalytic oxidative cascade was developed for the conversion of saturated fatty acids to α‐ketoacids. Employment of P450 monooxygenase in the peroxygenase mode for regioselective α‐hydroxylation of fatty acids combined with enantioselective oxidation by α‐hydroxyacid oxidase(s) resulted in internal recycling of the oxidant H₂O₂, thus minimizing degradation of ketoacid product and maximizing biocatalyst lifetime. The O₂‐dependent cascade relies on catalytic amounts of H₂O₂ and releases water as sole by‐product. Octanoic acid was converted under mild conditions in aqueous buffer to 2‐oxooctanoic acid in a simultaneous one‐pot two‐step cascade in up to >99 % conversion without accumulation of hydroxyacid intermediate. Scale‐up allowed isolation of final product in 91 % yield and the cascade was applied to fatty acids of various chain lengths (C6:0 to C10:0).     

Carbon‐Nanotube‐Supported Bio‐Inspired Nickel Catalyst and Its Integration in Hybrid Hydrogen/Air Fuel Cells

A biomimetic nickel bis‐diphosphine complex incorporating the amino acid arginine in the outer coordination sphere was immobilized on modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through electrostatic interactions. The functionalized redox nanomaterial exhibits reversible electrocatalytic activity for the H₂/2 H⁺ interconversion from pH 0 to 9, with catalytic preference for H₂ oxidation at all pH values. The high activity of the complex over a wide pH range allows us to integrate this bio‐inspired nanomaterial either in an enzymatic fuel cell together with a multicopper oxidase at the cathode, or in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using Pt/C at the cathode. The Ni‐based PEMFC reaches 14 mW cm⁻², only six‐times‐less as compared to full‐Pt conventional PEMFC. The Pt‐free enzyme‐based fuel cell delivers ≈2 mW cm⁻², a new efficiency record for a hydrogen biofuel cell with base metal catalysts.     

An Efficient RuTe2/Graphene Catalyst for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Acid Electrolyte

Developing efficient powder catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the acidic electrolyte is significant for hydrogen generation in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis technique. Herein, we demonstrated an efficient catalyst for HER in the acid media based on the graphene supported ruthenium telluride nanoparticles (RuTe₂/Gr). The catalysts were easily fabricated by a facile microwave irradiation/thermal annealing approach, and orthorhombic RuTe₂ crystals were found anchored over the graphene surface. The defective structure was demonstrated in the aberration‐corrected transmission electron microscopy images for RuTe₂ crystals and graphene support. This catalyst required an overpotential of 72 mV to drive 10 mA cm^?2 for HER when loading on the inert glass carbon electrode; Excellent catalytic stability in acidic media was also observed to offer 10 mA cm^?2 for 10 hours. The Volmer‐Tafel mechanism was indicated on RuTe₂/Gr catalyst by Tafel slope of 33 mV dec^?1, similar to that of Pt/C catalysts. The high catalytic performance of RuTe₂/Gr could be attributed to its high dispersion on the graphene surface, high electrical conductivity and low charge transfer resistance. This powder catalyst has potential application in the PEM water electrolysis technique because of its low cost and high stability.     

Magnetic core–shell Fe3O4@C-SO3H nanoparticle catalyst for hydrolysis of cellulose

Catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose over solid acid catalysts is one of efficient pathways for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. High catalytic activity and easy separation from reaction media are two important factors for evaluating the performance of the solid acid catalysts for the cellulose hydrolysis. In this study, we report a core–shell Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle with a magnetic Fe₃O₄ core encapsulated in a sulfonated carbon shell, as recyclable catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose. The sulfonated carbon shell shows a good activity, presenting 48.6 % cellulose conversion with 52.1 % glucose selectivity under the moderate conditions of 140 °C after 12 h reaction. Importantly, the magnetic Fe₃O₄ core makes the catalysts easily separated from reaction mixtures by using the externally applied magnetic field. In addition, the Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle catalyst shows a high stability in the activity and magnetization during recycling tests, suggesting it a promising solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose.     

Modulation of Self-Separating Molecular Catalysts for Highly Efficient Biomass Transformations

The energetically viable fabrication of stable and highly efficient solid acid catalysts is one of the key steps in large-scale transformation processes of biomass resources. Herein, the covalent modification of the classical Dawson polyoxometalate (POMs) with sulfonic acids (-SO₃H) is reported by grafting sulfonic acid groups on the POM's surface followed by oxidation of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane. The acidity of TBA₆-P₂W₁₇-SO₃H (TBA=tetrabutyl ammonium) has been demonstrated by using ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, clearly indicating the presence of strong Brønsted acid sites. The presence of TBA counterions renders the solid acid catalyst as a promising candidate for phase transfer catalytic processes. The TBA₆-P₂W₁₇-SO₃H shows remarkable activity and selectivity, excellent stability, and great substrate compatibility for the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) with methanol and conversion into biodiesel at 70 °C with >98 % conversion of oleic acid in 20 min. The excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the formation of a catalytically active emulsion, which results in a uniform catalytic behavior during the reaction, leading to efficient interaction between the substrate and the active sites of the catalyst. Most importantly, the catalyst can be easily recovered and reused without any loss of its catalytic activity owing to its excellent phase transfer properties. This work offers an efficient and cost-effective strategy for large-scale biomass conversion applications.     

Robust hydrogen production from HCOOH over amino-modified KIT-6-confined PdIr alloy nanoparticles

Formic acid（FA）, which can be produced via CO2reduction and biomass conversion, has received extensive interest as a convenient and safe hydrogen carrier due to its wide range of sources, renewable,high hydrogen content（4.4 wt%）, and convenient storage/transportation. Designing highly efficient catalysts is the main challenge to realize the hydrogen production from FA. In this work, well-dispersed and electron-rich Pd Ir alloy nanoparticles with a size of 1.8 nm are confined in amino-modified 3D...     

Homogeneous Molecular Iron Catalysts for Direct Photocatalytic Conversion of Formic Acid to Syngas (CO+H2)

The catalytic decomposition of formic acid to generate syngas (a mixture of H₂ and CO) is a highly valuable strategy for energy conversion. Syngas can be used directly in internal combustion engines or can be converted to liquid fuels, meeting future energy challenges in a sustainable manner. Herein, we report the use of homogeneous molecular iron catalysts combined with a CdS nanorods (NRs) semiconductor to construct a highly efficient photocatalytic system for direct conversion of formic acid to syngas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Under optimal conditions, the photocatalytic system presents an activity of 150 mmol g_catalyst^?1 h^?1 towards H₂, and an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 16.8 %, making it among the most active noble‐metal‐free photocatalytic systems for H₂ evolution from formic acid under visible light. Meanwhile, these iron‐based molecular catalysts also demonstrate remarkable enhancement in CO evolution with robust stability. The mechanistic role of the molecular catalyst is further investigated by using cyclic voltammetry, which suggests the formation of Fe^I species as the key step in the catalytic conversion of formic acid to syngas.     

Pyrrolidone ligand improved Cu‐based catalysts with high performance for acetylene hydrochlorination

A series of Cu‐pyrrolidone/spherical activated carbon (SAC) catalysts were prepared via a simple incipient wetness impregnation method and then assessed in acetylene hydrochlorination, and the catalytic evaluation result indicated that the 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) ligand was found to be the most effective one to significantly improve the activity and stability of Cu catalyst. The catalyst with the optimal molar ratio of NMP/Cu = 0.25 showed 94.2% acetylene conversion at 180°C and an acetylene gas hourly space velocity of 180 h^?1. Moreover, the acetylene conversion of Cu‐0.25NMP/SAC remained stable over 99.1% for about 220 h under the industrial condition. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses proved that NMP ligand improved the dispersion of Cu species. In addition, hydrogen temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET) indicated that the additive of NMP was preferential to stabilize the catalytic active Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ species and inhibit the reduction of Cu^α+ to Cu⁰ during the preparation process and reaction, hence restraining the coke deposition. Furthermore, the steady coordination structure between Cu and NMP was confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectra (FT‐IR) and Raman combining with density functional theory (DFT) calculation, which could effectively lower the adsorption energy of catalyst for C₂H₂ and inhibit the serious carbon deposition caused by excessive acetylene self‐accumulation. Our findings suggest that the efficient, well‐stabilized cost‐effective, and environmentally friendly Cu catalyst has great potential in acetylene hydrochlorination.     

An Update on Formic Acid Dehydrogenation by Homogeneous Catalysis

Formic acid (FA) has been extensively studied as one of the most promising hydrogen energy carriers today. The catalytic decarboxylation of FA ideally leads to the formation of CO₂ and H₂ that can be applied in fuel cells. A large number of transition‐metal based homogeneous catalysts with high activity and selectivity have been reported for the selective FA dehydrogentaion. In this review, we discussed the recent development of C,N/N,N‐ligand and pincer ligand‐based homogeneous catalysts for the FA dehydrogenation reaction. Some representative catalysts are further evaluated by the CON/COF assessment (catalyst on‐cost number)/(catalyst on‐cost frequency). Conclusive remarks are provided with future challenges and opportunities.     

Synthesis of Pb(OH)2/rGO Catalyst for Conversion of Sugar to Lactic Acid in Water

Conversion of sugars from biomass to platform chemicals or fuels is an attracting topic for the utilization of biomass. Pb²⁺ ion is an efficient catalyst for the degradation of sugar to lactic acid, and it will be better to fix lead on a solid catalyst to reduce the risk of exposure of Pb²⁺ to environment. Here, a simple method has been developed to prepare a composite catalyst of Pb(OH)₂/rGO, where the nanoparticles of Pb(OH)₂ in size of 2-5 nm were prepared and fixed over the as-prepared reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. The as-obtained catalyst showed an efficient catalytic activity to degrade glucose, fructose, and cellulose in aqueous solution, and the major product is lactic acid. The yield of lactic acid reached 58.7% when fructose was used as the feedstock (433 K and 2.5 MPa N₂), and the catalyst can be recycled with high activity. Cellulose can also be directly converted into lactic acid in aqueous solution over the catalyst without extra acid or alkali, and the maximum yield of lactic acid is 31.7%.     

Triazine‐based Organic Polymer‐catalysed Conversion of Epoxide to Cyclic Carbonate under Ambient CO2 Pressure

In this work we have achieved epoxide to cyclic carbonate conversion using a metal‐free polymeric catalyst under ambient CO₂ pressure (1.02 atm) using a balloon setup. The triazine containing polymer (CYA‐ANIS) was prepared from cyanuric chloride (CYA?Cl) and o‐dianisidine (ANIS) in anhydrous DMF as solvent by refluxing under the N₂ gas environment. The presence of triazine and amine functional groups in the polymer results in the adsorption of CO₂ up to 7 cc/g at 273 K. This inspired us to utilize the polymer for the conversion of a series of functionalised epoxides into their corresponding cyclic carbonates in the presence of tetrabutyl ammonium iodide (TBAI) as co‐catalyst. The product has wide range of applications like solvent in lithium ion battery, precursor for polycarbonate, etc. The catalyst was efficient for the conversion of different mono and di‐epoxides into their corresponding cyclic carbonates under atmospheric pressure in the presence of TBAI as co‐catalyst. The study indicates that epoxide attached with electron withdrawing groups (like, CH₂Cl, glycidyl ether, etc.) displayed better conversion compared to simple alkane chain attached epoxides. This is mainly due to the stabilization of electron rich intermediates produced during the reaction (e. g. epoxide ring opening or CO₂ incorporation into the halo‐alkoxide anion). This catalyst mixture was capable to maintain its reactivity up to five cycles without losing its activity. Post catalytic characterization clearly supports the heterogeneous and recyclable nature of the catalyst.     

Production of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural from Fructose in Ionic Liquid Efficiently Catalyzed by Cr(III)‐Al2O3 Catalyst

A series of metal‐Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared simply by the conventional impregnation with Al₂O₃ and metal chlorides, which were applied to the dehydration of fructose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). An agreeable HMF yield of 93.1% was achieved from fructose at mild conditions (100°C and 40 min) when employing Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ as catalyst in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). The Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ catalyst was characterized via XRD, DRS and Raman spectra and the results clarified the interaction between the Cr(III) and the alumina support. Meanwhile, the reaction solvents ([Bmim]Cl) collected after 1^st reaction run and 5^th reaction run were analyzed by ICP‐OES and LC‐ITMS and the results confirmed that no Cr(III) ion was dropped off from the alumina support during the fructose dehydration. Notably, Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ catalyst had an excellent catalytic performance for glucose and sucrose and the HMF yields were reached to 73.7% and 84.1% at 120°C for 60 min, respectively. Furthermore, the system of Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ and [Bmim]Cl exhibited a constant stability and activity at 100°C for 40 min and a favorable HMF yield was maintained after ten recycles.