Mesoporous Silica-Encaged Ultrafine Bimetallic Nanocatalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation to Formates

Abstract

© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid/formate has been recognized as a key reaction to realizing the CO2-mediated hydrogen energy cycle. Herein, ultrafine and well-dispersed Pd−CoO nanoparticles (∼1.8 nm) were encapsulated within mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs) via a facile one-pot ligand-protected synthesis strategy. The MSN-encaged bimetallic nanocatalysts exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for the formate production from CO2 hydrogenation, showing high turnover frequency value up to 1824 h−1 at 373 K, which is among the top-level reported for heterogeneous catalysts.