Research Results

Mechanism of Platinum Nanoparticle Catalysts for Decomposition of Formic Acid to Selectively Generate Hydrogen Gas Elucidated

Key Points of This Research

• Focusing on formic acid (HCOOH), which can be produced from carbon dioxide, as a medium molecule capable of storing hydrogen.
• Elucidating the mechanism of hydrogen generation based on formic acid decomposition, which had not been clarified until now.

Summary

Professor Yutaka Amao (Director and Professor, Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Osaka City University) and Yusuke Minami (Graduate Student, Second Year of Master's Program, Department of Molecular Materials Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University) clarified the mechanism by which platinum nanoparticles dispersed with the polymer compound polyvinylpyrrolidone function effectively as a catalyst when decomposing formic acid to generate hydrogen.

Since the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels have been used as useful energy resources; however, they are finite resources, and because they emit large quantities of CO2 when used, they are pointed out as the main cause of global warming. To solve this problem, hydrogen (H2) has recently attracted attention as a clean and sustainable energy source. To transport and store hydrogen safely and efficiently, liquefied hydrogen, ammonia, and other substances are being considered as energy carriers (transport media), but this study focused on formic acid (HCOOH), which can be produced from carbon dioxide.

This is the world's first study to discover that platinum nanoparticles dispersed with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), referred to as Pt-PVP, are effective as a catalyst when decomposing formic acid to generate hydrogen.

The results of this study were published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels, a journal issued by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Publication Information

⇒All Press Release (PDF:348KB)

Article source: Osaka City University website