Enhancing the catalytic activity of Pd nanoparticles in the hydrolysis of ethylenediamine-bisborane through sulfonation of graphene oxide as a solid support

Abstract

Ethylenediamine-bisborane (EDB), with its high hydrogen storage capacity, has been in the limelight among researchers. In this study, a new catalytic hybrid material (Pd@rGO-SO3H), comprising sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (rGO-SO3H) and palladium (Pd), was developed. This material serves as a highly efficient and reusable catalyst in the hydrogen production from EDB hydrolysis. The synthesized EDB, rGO-SO3H, and Pd@rGO-SO3H were characterized using ICP-OES, PXRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and TEM/EDX tools. The initial TOF value of the Pd@rGO-SO3H catalyst in hydrogen production from EDB hydrolysis was calculated as 136 min−1. This TOF value was found to be remarkably high compared to related studies in the literature. The reusability performance of Pd@rGO-SO3H was observed to be quite stable. Finally, activation parameters, such as activation energy (Ea), activation enthalpy (ΔH#), and activation entropy (ΔS#) for the hydrolysis reaction, were calculated by conducting catalytic reactions at different temperatures using relevant equations.