Enhanced hydrogen production through cracking of ammonia water using liquid plasma on titanate-based perovskite catalysts

Abstract

In this study, a mass production of hydrogen was studied through cracking of ammonia water using liquid plasma. A new FexNi1-xTiO3 perovskite composite with significantly improved visible-light sensitivity was synthesized to further improve the photochemical reaction activity. It is applied to hydrogen production from the decomposition of ammonia water using liquid plasma. In this reaction, a large amount of hydrogen is produced with a small amount of nitrogen gas; moreover, oxygen is produced by liquid plasma discharge and no CO2 byproduct is produced. Titanate-based perovskite catalysts have also been used in decomposition reactions. Titanate-based perovskite catalysts exhibiting high rates of hydrogen production during decomposition were obtained for the plasma and photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous ammonia. FexNi1-xTiO3, which is a newly synthesized ABTiO3-type titanate, showed a higher rate of hydrogen production (approximately 140 L/(g·h)) than other titanate-based perovskites. Furthermore, the FexNi1-xTiO3 exhibited the highest sensitivity to UV and visible light. Its high photosensitivity helped improve the photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of ammonia in water using plasma.