Enhanced dehydrogenation efficiency in Liquid organic hydrogen Carriers using Sulfur-Doped Pt/TiO2 Catalysts: A Path to minimizing byproducts

The increasing global demand for hydrogen as a sustainable energy carrier has driven the development of advanced hydrogen storage and release technologies. Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs), such as methylbenzyl naphthalene (MBN), offer a promising solution due to their high hydrogen storage capacity and favorable dehydrogenation properties. This study investigates the dehydrogenation of perhydro-MBN (H16-MBN) using Pt/TiO2 catalysts, with an emphasis on enhancing hydrogen yield while minimizing byproduct formation. An exponential increase of byproduct selectivity was observed as the hydrogen yield increased, which should be attributed from the excessive catalytic play of highly active Pt nanoparticles on TiO2 surface. Through systematic experiments, sulfur-doped Pt/TiO2 catalysts were found to effectively reduce side reactions and achieve a marked improvement in H2 yield compared to conventional Pt-based systems, finally escaping from an exponential trend between hydrogen yield and byproduct selectivity. The study reveals that sulfur doping moderates the activity of Pt, thereby suppressing unwanted byproducts and enhancing catalyst stability. These findings underscore the potential of sulfur-doped Pt/TiO2 catalysts in optimizing LOHC systems, offering a scalable and efficient approach to hydrogen storage and release.