Ultrasmall Ni-ZnO/SiO2 Synergistic Catalyst for Highly Efficient Hydrogenation of NaHCO3 to Formic Acid.

Conversion of CO2 into fuels and chemicals has been considered to be an important strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate the energy crisis. Bicarbonate as a CO2 source is convenient for experimental operation. Herein, based on the synergistic effect of Ni and ZnO benefitting from the electronic transfer, ultrasmall Ni-ZnO clusters (∼2 nm) stabilized by microporous silica nanoparticles were designed and prepared for catalyzing the hydrogenation of sodium bicarbonate to formic acid. The yield of formic acid reached up to 97.0% at 260 °C/3 MPa for 2 h, which is higher than those reported non-noble metal-based catalysts. The good performance of Ni-ZnO/SiO2 can be attributed to the ultrasmall active component size and the synergy effect based on electron transfer between Ni and ZnO.