Amorphous NiCoPt/Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation from Hydrous Hydrazine

Abstract

Hydrous hydrazine is a promising hydrogen carrier material because of its high content of hydrogen (8.0 wt.%) and easy recharging as a liquid. Amorphous Ni8.1Co1.0Pt0.9/Ce2O3 nanoparticles with low precious-metal content were synthesized by a facile co-reduction method at room temperature under ambient atmosphere. The increased degree of amorphization was attributed to the introduction of Ce2O3. The resultant Ni8.1Co1.0Pt0.9/Ce2O3 nanocomposite was employed as an efficient nanocatalyst towards the decomposition of hydrous hydrazine to H2, and exhibited excellent catalytic activity and 100% H2 selectivity. Turnover frequency (TOF) value catalyzed by amorphous Ni8.1Co1.0Pt0.9/Ce2O3 is 93.75 h-1, which is much higher than Ni8.1Co1.0Pt0.9 (4.39 h-1) at 298 K. The development of the improved catalytic performance and low-cost catalyst with amorphous structure is believed to strongly promote the practical application of hydrous hydrazine as a hydrogen storage material.