Research Results

We have elucidated the catalytic mechanism of platinum nanoparticles for selectively generating hydrogen gas from the decomposition of formic acid.

Key points of this study

• Our attention is drawn to formic acid (HCOOH), a hydrogen storage carrier molecule that can be synthesized from carbon dioxide.
• We have elucidated the previously unknown mechanism of hydrogen generation via formic acid decomposition.

Summary

 Professor Yutaka Amao (Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Osaka City University) and Graduate Student Yusuke Minami, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Materials and Molecular Science at the Graduate School of Science, have elucidated the catalytic mechanism by which platinum nanoparticles dispersed in polyvinylpyrrolidone effectively decompose formic acid to produce hydrogen.

 Fossil fuels, which have served as indispensable energy sources since the Industrial Revolution, are finite resources and a primary cause of global warming due to their significant CO₂ emissions. As a result, hydrogen (H₂), a clean and sustainable energy alternative, has garnered increasing attention in recent years. While liquid hydrogen and ammonia have been considered as energy carriers for the safe and efficient transportation and storage of hydrogen, this study focuses on formic acid (HCOOH), which can be produced from carbon dioxide.

 This is the world's first research to discover that platinum nanoparticles dispersed in polyvinylpyrrolidone (Pt-PVP) are highly effective as a catalyst for decomposing formic acid to produce hydrogen.

 This research has been published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Publication Information

⇒All Press Release (PDF:348KB)

Article source: Osaka City University website