Inside Back Cover: Boron Nitride‐supported Sub‐nanometer Pd 6 Clusters for Formic Acid Decomposition: A DFT Study (ChemCatChem 9/2017)

Boron Nitride‐supported Sub‐nanometer Pd6 Clusters for Formic Acid Decomposition: A DFT Study

A periodic, self-consistent planewave DFT study was carried out to explore the potential use of Pd6 clusters supported on a boron nitride sheet as a catalyst for the selective decomposi- tion of formic acid (HCOOH) to CO2 and H2. The competition between formate (HCOO) and carboxyl (COOH) paths on cata- lytic sites, with different proximities to the support, was stud- ied. Based on energetics alone, the reaction may mainly follow the HCOO route. Slightly lower activation energies were found at the lateral sites of the cluster as compared to top face sites. This is particularly true for the bidentate to monodentate HCOO conversion. Through comparison of results with similar studies on HCOOH d…