Enhancing formic acid dehydrogenation for hydrogen production with the metal/organic interface

[Display omitted] •The Cr0.4Pd0.6/M-β-CD-A was prepared by a facile wet-chemical method.•The Cr0.4Pd0.6/M-β-CD-A is an efficient catalyst for dehydrogenation of FA.•The Cr0.4Pd0.6/M-β-CD-A catalyst gives a high initial TOF of 5771 mol H2 mol Pd−1 h−1.•The excellent catalytic activity of Cr0.4Pd0.6/M-β-CD-A is ascribed to metal/organic interfacial interactions. Ultrafine and well-dispersed CrPd nanoparticles are successfully immobilized on 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane functionalized monochlortriazinyl β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD-A) by a facile wet-chemical method. Benefiting from the strong metal/organic interfacial interactions between the CrPd nanoparticles and M-β-CD-A support, the Cr0.4Pd0.6/M-β-CD-A catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity towards formic acid dehydrogenation for hydrogen production, affording a high initial turn over frequency of 5771 mol H2 mol Pd−1 h−1 without any additive at 323 K, which is much higher than those obtained for most of the reported noble metal catalysts under similar conditions. This work provides a promising lead for the design of efficient heterogeneous catalysts toward formic acid dehydrogenation for hydrogen production.