Robust bimetallic Pt–Ru catalysts for the rapid hydrogenation of toluene and tetralin at ambient temperature and pressure

To facilitate the drive towards ever lower energy, ‘greener’ processing, robust bimetallic aluminosilicate-supported Pt–Ru catalysts that can operate under atmospheric conditions have been developed for the rapid room temperature hydrogenation of aromatics (toluene and tetralin) at 1 atm H2. The toluene/methylcyclohexane couple has the added interest of being a promising cyclic hydrocarbon combination for the storage of hydrogen.The easily handled air-stable catalysts were prepared using the incipient wetness method and characterised by ICP-AES, XRD, TEM as well as nitrogen sorption measurements. Compared to their monometallic counterparts, the bimetallic catalysts displayed significantly higher turn-over-frequencies (TOFs), consistent with a synergistic relationship between platinum and ruthenium.

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► Alloy nanoparticles of Pt–Ru were synthesised.
► The complete catalyst synthesis was performed in air.
► Toluene was hydrogenated under ambient conditions and with no special precautions.
► The alloy with a molar ratio of 1 Pt to 1.5 Ru was much more active than either of the metals by themselves.
► The synergistic alloy may hold the key to a simple reversible hydrogen storage system, operating under mild conditions.