Heterogeneous Catalysis in Production and Utilization of Formic Acid for Renewable Energy

As the cleanest energy source, hydrogen has been followed with interest by researchers around the world. However, due to the internal low density of hydrogen, it cannot be stored and used efficiently which limits the hydrogen application on a huge scale. Chemical hydrogen storage is considered as a useful method for efficient handling and storage. Due to its excellent safety, formic acid stands out. It is worth noting that the matter and energy conversion is established based on formic acid, which is not referred to in the previous documentation. In this review, the latest development of research on heterogeneous catalysis via production and application of formic acid for energy application is reported. The matter and energy conversion based on formic acid are both discussed systematically. More importantly, with formic acid as the node, biomass energy shows potential to be in a dominant position in the energy conversion process. In addition, the catalytic mechanism is also mentioned. This review can provide the current state in this field and the new inspirations for developing superior catalytic systems.

Exfoliation of a Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

A two-dimensional metal-organic framework, FICN-12, was constructed from tris[4-(1H-pyrazole-4-yl)phenyl]amine (H₃TPPA) ligands and Ni₂ secondary building units. The triphenylamine moiety in the H₃TPPA ligand readily absorbs UV-visible photons and sensitizes the Ni center to drive photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. FICN-12 can be exfoliated into monolayer and few-layer nanosheets with a "top-down" approach, which exposes more catalytic sites and increases its catalytic activity. As a result, the nanosheets (FICN-12-MONs) showed photocatalytic CO and CH₄ production rates of 121.15 and 12.17 μmol/g/h, respectively, nearly 1.4 times higher than those of bulk FICN-12.