Synthesis and characterization of palladium nanocatalyst supported on amine-modified nial layered double hydroxide for formic acid dehydrogenation

Energy is an indispensable element of modern life and is largely obtained from fossil fuels. However, the limited availability of fossil fuels and their use posing serious threats to the environment and human health have increased the need for sustainable energy solutions. In this context, one of the most promising solutions is renewable hydrogen energy. However, producing hydrogen from renewable sources under mild conditions and storing it safely still presents significant challenges. Formic acid (FA), which is liquid at room temperature, non-explosive, has a high hydrogen content, and can be produced from biomass, is one of the safest and most promising materials for hydrogen storage. The selective catalytic decomposition of FA through dehydrogenation has become one of the most important methods for producing pure hydrogen. For this purpose, in this thesis, a novel heterogeneous catalyst system Pd@NiAl/LDH-NH2 has been designed for the first time by stabilizing palladium nanoparticles on an amine-modified NiAl layered double hydroxide support. Subsequently, the structure of Pd@NiAl/LDH-NH2 was illuminated using FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, EDS mapping, and TEM analyses. TEM images revealed that the Pd nanoarticles are uniformly distributed and have an average particle size of 15 nm. The catalytic performance of Pd@NiAl/LDH-NH2 was tested in the dehydrogenation of FA, and the amount of gas produced was measured volumetrically using burette. Studies have shown that 50 mg Pd@NiAl/LDH-NH2 nanocatalyst produces the best initial turnover frequency value of 267 in the first ten minutes at 50°C. Pd@NiAl/LDH-NH2 nanocatalyst was recovered and reused 3 times in the dehydrogenation of FA.