2‐(N‐Methylbenzyl)pyridine: A Potential Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier with Fast H₂ Release and Stable Activity in Consecutive Cycles

The liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) 2‐( N ‐methylbenzyl)pyridine (MBP) shows good potential for H 2 storage based on reversible hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, with an H 2 storage density of 6.15 wt %. This material and the corresponding perhydro product (H 12 ‐MBP) are liquids at room temperature. Remarkably, H 2 release is much faster from H 12 ‐MBP over Pd/C than from the benchmark perhydro benzyltoluene over Pt/C at lower temperatures than 270 °C, owing to the addition of N atom into the benzene ring. Since this positive effect is unfavorable to the hydrogenation reaction, more Ru/Al 2 O 3 catalyst or prolonged reaction time must be applied for complete H 2 storage. Experiments with repeated hydrogenation–dehydrogenation cycles reveal that reversible H 2 storage and release are possible without degradation of the MBP/H 12 ‐MBP pair. The prepared MBP satisfies the requirements for chemical stability, handling properties, and cytotoxicity testing.