Motivated by such a challenge, a research team led by Prof. CHEN Xinqing at Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new strategy utilizing Ru single atoms and ^*BEA zeolite to synergistically catalyze hydrogen storage of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) with superior performance.

The research results were published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental.

Atomically dispersed Ru supported on ^*BEA zeolite was prepared by deposition precipitation for LOHCs. It is found that highly dispersed Ru single-atoms boost hydrogen activation and the strong acid sites of zeolites promote the hydrogen spillover on the hydrogenation with N-heterocycles.

Moreover, the synergistic effect of Ru single atoms and ^*BEA zeolite is crucial for accelerating the hydrogenation rate and lowering the activation energy compared with traditional Ru-based catalysts.

The synergistic catalysis of Ru single-atoms and zeolite with the assistance of hydrogen spillover exhibited excellent hydrogenation activity of N-ethylcarbazole (NEC), N-propylcarbazole (NPC), and 2-methylindole (2-MID) at lower temperatures with lower Ru content (0.5 wt%).

The study of Ru single-atoms and zeolite synergistic catalysis provides a new strategy for the synergetic catalysis of zeolite-supported metal catalysts for fast hydrogen storage into aromatic LOHCs under mild conditions.

Hydrogenation performance of N-ethylcarbazole (NEC) of different catalysts and comparison results of literature 

(Image by SARI)

Cotact: CHEN Xinqing

Shanghai Advanced Research Institute

chenxq@sari.ac.cn