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.