Research Projects

Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) are essential for vehicular hydrogen storage applications, meeting DOE targets. Reversibility of LOHCs is achieved through dehydrogenation/rehydrogenation cycles, which require well-designed catalysts. Dehydrogenation is endothermic and requires high temperatures, making it less efficient. Therefore, designing and developing catalysts that operate at lower temperatures (~100-150 °C) with good efficiencies is crucial for successful employment of LOHCs for hydrogen storage. This project proposes two strategies for dehydrogenation/rehydrogenation reactions: covalently bonding molecular catalysts on functionalized metal oxide (MO) systems and stabilizing single metal atom catalysts (SACs) on redox active porous MO. The goal is to exploit the possibility of covalently linking well-known molecular catalysts on functionalized MO systems without losing their activity, bridging the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. SACs supported on MO will be synthesized, with heat treatment of MO-anchored molecular catalysts under appropriate conditions. The synthesized catalysts will be thoroughly characterized using advanced techniques, evaluated for hydrogenation-dehydrogenation of LOHCs under continuous flow conditions, and products analysis will be carried out using gas chromatography. The project aims to achieve highly efficient reversible hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of LOHCs through the development of new generation catalysts, such as functionalized MO supported catalysts and SACs stabilized on porous redox active MO. The design aims to maximize atom efficiency and reduce capital investment of precious metals through strong synergistic interactions between SACs and redox active porous MO.