Recent Developments of Homogeneous Transition-Metal Catalysts for Low Temperature Dehydrogenation of Methanol

Abstract

It is extremely urgent to develop green energy and find alternatives to fossil fuels since the energy shortage and environmental pollution become the worldwide concern. Methanol has emerged as a promising carrier for hydrogen storage owing to its high hydrogen density, simple structure and environmental friendly substance. The methanol reforming has triggered great efforts on the development of homogeneous catalysts, and the aim is to decrease methanol dehydrogenation reaction temperature and improve the selectivity. This review summarizes the recent research progresses in the homogeneously transition-metal catalyzed thermal dehydrogenation of methanol and aqueous methanol reforming. It mainly focuses on the structural characteristics of Ru, Rh, Ir, Fe and Mn-based complexes, catalytic reaction conditions, the reaction yield, and the catalytic reaction mechanism. The differences in the reactivities of these catalysts are analyzed and compared. Not only a summary is given, but also some perspectives and inspiration for improving the performance of aqueous methanol reforming catalysts for future research are discussed.