PtRu synergistic effect facilitates hydrogenation of liquid organic hydrogen carrier in aqueous phase under ambient pressure

The liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology distinguishes itself among various hydrogen storage technologies owing to its distinctive advantages. However, conventional hydrogenation reaction processes generally necessitate elevated hydrogen pressure (5–8 MPa). This study presents an electrocatalytic hydrogenation reaction (ECH) system utilizing N-methylindole (NMID) as the substrate. The system not only achieves hydrogenation reactions using water as the hydrogen source under ambient pressure, but also attains a selectivity exceeding 70 % for the fully hydrogenated product (8H-NMID) via the synergistic catalytic effects of Pt and Ru. Furthermore, the hydrogenation pathway of NMID was elucidated through in-situ infrared spectroscopy and Gaussian theoretical calculations. This research establishes the feasibility of LOHC hydrogenation through ECH, providing innovative perspectives for LOHC technology applications.