Microwave-activated dehydrogenation of perhydro-N-ethylcarbazol over bimetallic Pd-M/TiO2 catalysts as the second stage of hydrogen storage in liquid substrates

Reversible catalytic hydrogenation-dehydrogenation of aromatic and heterocyclic compounds is considered as a promising approach to hydrogen storage. While exploring the microwave-assisted catalytic processes, the Pd/TiO2 catalysts were shown to be most effective. The catalytic activity of the Pd/TiO2 system can be enhanced by introduction of a second metal after the formation of the supported Pd nanoparticles, with Pt and Ru acting as most efficient promoters. The studies of the catalytic behavior of the supported bimetallic Pd-Ru/TiO2 and Pd-Pt/TiO2 catalysts in perhydro-N-ethylcarbazole (H-NEC) dehydrogenation revealed that the catalytic activity under microwave activation is higher than that in a conventional thermal mode at the same reaction temperatures. Complete dehydrogenation occurred only under microwave activation, with a negligible by-product formation. This feature of the catalysts makes possible their application in the hydrogen storage systems based on the reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation cycles under microwave activation.