Identifying Noble Metal Catalysts for the Hydrogenation and Dehydrogenation of Dibenzyltoluene: A Combined Theoretical–Experimental Study

Abstract

We present a comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigation of the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of dibenzyltoluene (DBT) using Pd-, Pt-, Ru-, and Rh-supported metal catalysts to identify the optimal catalysts for hydrogen storage and release processes. Our results demonstrated significant variation in the catalytic activity of the metal catalysts. 5 wt % Rh/Al 2 O 3 and 5 wt % Pt/Al 2 O 3 showed the highest activity for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation with the highest selectivity and turnover frequency (TOF), respectively. Conversely, 5 wt % Pd/Al 2 O 3 and 5 wt % Ru/Al 2 O 3 exhibited lower catalytic activity toward full hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. Rh/Al 2 O 3 showed the best catalytic hydrogenation activity with a TOF of 26.49 h −1 and a hydrogenation degree of 92.69% in 2 h, while Pt/Al 2 O 3 exhibited the best catalytic dehydrogenation activity with a released H 2 volume of 3755 mL, a dehydrogenation degree of 78.23%, and a TOF of 39.56 h −1 in 2 h. Additionally, we estimated the activation energies for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation to be 67.20 and 82.78 kJ/mol, respectively. Notably, the produced hydrogen gas was of high purity and suitable for use in fuel cells. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to analyze the adsorption structure and reaction energy changes of all intermediate products of DBT on the surface of the chosen catalysts. Our research provides valuable insights into developing efficient catalysts for liquid organic hydrogen carriers.