Boron nitride supported NiCoP nanoparticles as noble metal-free catalyst for highly efficient hydrogen generation from ammonia borane

Abstract

Herein, ternary metal phosphides NiCoP nanoparticles supported on porous hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) was fabricated via hydrothermal-phosphorization strategy. The as-prepared Ni0.8Co1.2P@h-BN exhibited excellent catalytic performance for the hydrogen generation from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis, with an initial turnover frequency of 86.5 mol(H2) mol(Ni0.8Co1.2P) −1 min−1 at 298 K. The experimental outcome can be attributed to the synergistic effect between Ni, Co and P, as well as the strong metal-support interaction between NiCoP and h-BN. This study presents a new paradigm for supporting transition metal phosphides, and provides a new avenue to develop high performance and low cost non noble metal catalysts for hydrolysis of AB.