Carbon-catalyzed oxygen-mediated dehydrogenation of formaldehyde in alkaline solution for efficient hydrogen production

We report an efficient process to dehydrogenate formaldehyde in alkaline solution, catalyzed by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via a unique reaction mechanism involving molecular O 2 . The superior catalytic performance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) compared to the other carbon-based catalysts is attributed to their sp 2 -carbon-rich surface, hydrophilicity and abundant surface defects , which are the most plausible active sites. Peroxide species originating from the activation of adsorbed molecular oxygen on the CNTs is found to be a key to C–H activation, leading to efficient hydrogen production . The cost-effective carbon-based dehydrogenation catalysts offer new opportunities to the development of novel liquid organic hydrogen carrier technologies.