Energy Matters: Catalysis for Chemical Hydrogen Storage
Mentor: Mª Cristina García Yebra
Email: cgarcia.yebra@uah.es
Phone: (+34) 918854696
University: Universidad de Alcalá
Partner Host Institution: CEPSA
Keywords: formic acid, dehydrogenation, chemical storage, catalysts, organometallic complexes

Energy Matters: Catalysis for Chemical Hydrogen Storage

To promote innovations toward solving energy and environmental problems that are expanding on a global scale today is a difficult challenge for scientists and engineers. Much effort is needed to develop technologies that reduce CO2 emissions and help to overcome the present society depending on fossil fuels as primary energy. Hydrogen has attracted increasing attention as an alternative secondary energy resource, because the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen produces the requested energy and only water as by-product. However, storage and transportation of hydrogen is a difficult issue. Chemistry offers a convenient solution to this problem, by converting it to chemical substances such as NH3, NH3-BH3, methylcyclohexane, and LOHC (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers) such as formic acid (FA). FA has been considered to be a promising substance for the chemical hydrogen storage because it is a non-toxic, environmentally friendly liquid containing 4.4 wt% H2. It is also advantageous that CO2, a substrate to produce a FA, is inexpensive and ubiquitous. This research line aims to offer new possibilities to overcome the energetic problem by using metal-based catalysts for hydrogen storage as a tool. We are looking for talented researchers interested in developing materials for energy efficiency and renewable energy applications based on transition-metal complexes or chemistry.

Departament: Organic Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry
Research Group: DENDROCAT
More Information: http://www3.uah.es/dendrocat/
https://portal.uah.es/portal/page/portal/epd2_profesores/prof7690
Relevants projects on the area: N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands for the Preparation of Mononuclear Pd(I) Complexes and Group 10 and 11 Hydrosoluble Complexes and Nanoparticles. MINECO. Ref. CTQ2017-85203-P. 1/01/2018-31/12/2020. Main researcher: E. de Jesús (IP1), J. C. Flores (IP2).
Relevants publications on the area: 1.- Esteruelas, M. A.; García-Yebra, C.; Martín, J.; Oñate, E. "Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid Promoted by a Trihydride- Hydroxo-Osmium(IV) Complex: Kinetics and Mechanism" ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 11314−11323.
2.- Esteruelas, M. A.; García-Yebra, C.; Martín, J.; Oñate, E. "mer, fac, and Bidentate Coordination of an Alkyl-POP Ligand in the Chemistry of Nonclassical Osmium Hydrides" Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 676−683.
3.- J. M. Asensio, S. Tricard, Y. Coppel, R. Andrés, B. Chaudret, E. de Jesús, Knight Shift in 13C NMR Resonances Confirms the Coordination of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands to Water-Soluble Palladium Nanoparticles, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56, 865-860 (2017).