The role of CeO2 morphology on dehydrogenation from formic acid over Pd/CeO2 catalysts

[Display omitted] •Different morphologies CeO2 as support for Pd nanoparticles.•The Pd/CeO2-H acquired high activity for dehydrogenation of formic acid.•Ce species and modulated electronic state of Pd. Formic acid as a potential hydrogen carrier has received increasing attention. The catalyst used for the dehydrogenation of formic acid is the key to the process. In this paper, a series of Pd/CeO2 catalyzed dehydrogenation of formic acid were prepared by controlling the morphology of CeO2. CeO2 with diverse morphologies had different specific surface area, the number of Ce electronic states and oxygen vacancies, which could influence the chemical environment and dispersion of Pd species. The as-synthesized Pd/CeO2-H (hollow sphere) exhibited high catalytic activity with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 870 h−1 at 50 °C.