A Stable Nanocobalt Catalyst with Highly Dispersed CoNx Active Sites for the Selective Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid.

Novel nanostructured catalysts with highly dispersed cobalt have been synthesized by the pyrolysis of metal phenanthroline complexes. Materials with significantly different properties were obtained by simply tuning the metal/ligand ratio. The catalytic potential of this class of compounds is shown by the first example of the dehydrogenation of formic acid under the catalysis of atomically dispersed cobalt. From TEM, XPS, and XRD characterization, KSCN poisoning, and acid leaching, the formation of CoNx species as the active site seems key to the success of this reaction. Excellent stability and recyclability make this new catalyst also attractive for other applications.