Efficient synthesis of highly dispersed ultrafine Pd nanoparticles on a porous organic polymer for hydrogenation of CO(2) to formate

Precise design of catalytic supports is an encouraging technique for simultaneously improving the activity and stability of the catalyst. However, development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for transforming CO(2) into formic acid (FA) is still a big challenge. Herein, we report that Pd nanoparticles (NPs) based on a porous organic polymeric support containing amide and pyridine functional groups (AP-POP) can be an efficient catalyst for selective hydrogenation of CO(2) to form formate with high efficiency even under mild reaction conditions (6.0 MPa, 80 °C). Electron density of the active Pd species modulated via the interaction between pyridine nitrogen and Pd play important roles in dramatic enhancement of catalytic activity and was indicated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) along with CO chemisorption. This work provides an interesting and effective strategy for precise support design to improve the catalytic performance of nanoparticles.