Formic acid dehydrogenation and use as H-donor in 5-hydroxymethylfurfural hydrodeoxygenation over Pd/C3N4 catalysts

This work studies the behavior of a series of Pd/C₃N₄ catalyst in the reaction of formic acid dehydrogenation and the use of the latter as H-donor for 2,5-hydroxymethyl furfural hydrodeoxygenation. Firstly, a series of supports have been synthesized from melamine and urea as a function of precursors ratio and temperature of their condensation. The different synthetic conditions resulted in materials with very different specific surface areas and N-containing groups on the surface which influenced Pd deposition. The resulting defects facilitated enhanced electron transfer from nitrogen to Pd due to the close positioning of Pd nanoparticles near nitrogen sites. Consequently, the physicochemical and catalytic properties of the materials were notably impacted.