Hydrogen generation from formic acid decomposition at room temperature using a NiAuPd alloy nanocatalyst

•Homogeneous Ni0.40Au0.15Pd0.45 NPs support on carbon was prepared by a coreduction method.•The catalyst shows high activity and 100% H2 selectivity for the dehydrogenation of formic acid.•The obtained advanced catalysts promote the application of formic acid as a H2 storage material.

Formic acid has been widely regarded as a safe and sustainable hydrogen storage material. Despite tremendous efforts, developing low-noble-metal-loading material with high activity for the dehydrogenation of formic acid remains a great challenge. Here, carbon supported highly homogeneous trimetallic NiAuPd alloy nanoparticles are prepared and employed as catalyst for the selective dehydrogenation of formic acid. Unexpectedly, at Ni molar contents as high as 40%, the resultant Ni0.40Au0.15Pd0.45/C exhibits high activity and 100% hydrogen selectivity for hydrogen generation from formic acid aqueous solution without any additives even at 298 K. Such a low-noble-metal-loading catalyst with high activity may greatly encourage the practical application of formic acid as a hydrogen storage material.

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