An effective strategy for hydrogen supply: catalytic acceptorless dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles

Abstract

The new energy supply systems' demand worldwide has increased significantly with the development of mobile applications. An effective strategy for hydrogen supply offer a great hope for the solution of numerous existing complex scientific and technological problems in a simple, efficient, stable, and controllable energy output, especially facilitating development in the field of PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell). N-Heterocycles are considered as one of the most potential candidate media with inherent merits for the reversible storage and release of hydrogen, such as high hydrogen storage capacity and low energy barrier for dehydrogenation. Therefore, catalytic acceptorless dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles may be a promising pathway that can not only improve the hydrogen storage, transportation, and distribution but also the steady supply of hydrogen. However, developing the decentralized supply of pure hydrogen based on the dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles has been rarely studied to date due to the existence problems that include harsh catalytic conditions, complex catalytic system, unstable and expensive catalysts. Thus, efforts are needed to explore simple, efficient, stable, controllable, green catalytic systems for this typical transformation. In this paper, we aimed at introducing the reader to the remarkable progress in past decades in the acceptorless catalytic dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles and hope to encourage further research in this transformation, which will help to facilitate the establishment of an appropriate hydrogen supply system to match with the high-speed development of mobile energy economy in the future.