Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation from formic acid harnesses solar energy to drive the dehydrogenation of formic acid into molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide under mild conditions. Formic acid serves as a liquid hydrogen carrier, offering high volumetric density and facile handling. The key challenge lies in designing photocatalytic systems that achieve efficient light absorption, rapid separation of photogenerated charge carriers and selective activation of formic acid molecules to favour H₂ production over undesirable side reactions. Advances in semiconductor materials, heterojunction engineering and plasmonic‐metal integration have led to catalysts with enhanced quantum efficiencies and turnover frequencies, paving the way for on‐demand, decentralised hydrogen supply and contributing to carbon–neutral fuel cycles.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that constructing a Mott–Schottky junction between plasmonic AgPd alloy nanoparticles and single‐layer graphitic carbon nitride markedly enhances photocatalytic H₂ evolution from formic acid at near ambient temperature. In this system, palladium sites provide active centres for formic acid dehydrogenation, while silver nanoparticles introduce a localised surface plasmon resonance effect that amplifies light harvesting and promotes charge‐carrier separation. Under visible‐light irradiation at 30 °C, the optimised catalyst achieved an initial turnover frequency of 224 h⁻¹ and generated approximately 50 mL of H₂ + CO₂ gas per reaction cycle, with negligible loss of activity over successive cycles.

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in photocatalytic hydrogen generation from formic acid across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photocatalysis: A process in which a semiconductor or composite material absorbs photons to generate electron–hole pairs that drive chemical reactions on its surface.

Mott–Schottky junction: An interface between a semiconductor and a metal (or another semiconductor) that creates an internal electric field to promote charge‐carrier separation and directional electron flow.

Localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR): Collective oscillation of conduction electrons in metal nanoparticles upon light excitation, leading to enhanced electromagnetic fields and light absorption.

Turnover frequency (TOF): The number of reactant molecules converted to product per active site per unit time, indicating catalytic activity.

Apparent quantum efficiency (AQE): The fraction of incident photons that contribute to the desired chemical transformation, expressed as a percentage.

References

1. Integration of plasmonic AgPd alloy nanoparticles with single-layer graphitic carbon nitride as Mott-Schottky junction toward photo-promoted H2 evolution. Scientific Reports (2022).
2. Boosting CdS Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution in Formic Acid Solution by P Doping and MoS2 Photodeposition. Nanomaterials (2022).
3. Acetylene functionalized covalent triazine frameworks with AuPd nanoparticles as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution from formic acid. IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science (2023).