Hydrogen from formic acid via its selective disproportionation over nanodomain-modified zeolites

Sodium germanate is a nontransition-metal catalyst that is active in the selective dehydrogenation of formic acid. However, bulk sodium germanate has a very low surface area, limiting the availability of the germanate sites for catalysis. The dispersion of germanate in the zeolite ZSM-5 has been investigated both computationally and experimentally as a method for the provision of greater surface area and, therefore, higher activity per germanate site. Nanodomain islets of germanate dispersed in the germanium ZSM-5 zeolite invert selectivity from dehydration (in ZSM-5) to dehydrogenation of formic acid, potentially making Na-Ge-ZSM-5 a cost-effective catalyst for releasing hydrogen from formic acid.