Fabrication and characterization of poly(tannic acid) coated magnetic clay decorated with cobalt nanoparticles for NaBH4 hydrolysis: RSM-CCD based modeling and optimization

Abstract

Hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis in the presence of metal catalysts is a frequently used and encouraging method for hydrogen storage. Metal nanoparticle-supported catalysts are better recyclability and dispersion than unsupported metal catalysts. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of a polymer-supported catalyst for hydrogen generation using NaBH4 have been investigated. For the synthesis of polymeric material, first of all, kaolin (KLN) clay has been magnetically rendered by using the co-precipitation method (Fe3O4@KLN) and then coated with poly tannic acid (PTA@Fe3O4@KLN). Then, the catalyst loaded with cobalt (Co) nanoparticles have been obtained with the NaBH4 reduction method (Co@PTA@Fe3O4@KLN). The surface morphology and structural properties of the prepared catalysts have been determined using methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The optimization of the most important variables (NaBH4 amount, NaOH amount, catalyst amount, and metal loading rate) affecting the hydrolysis of NaBH4 using the synthesized polymeric catalysts was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM). Depending on the evaluated parameters, the desired response was determined to be hydrogen production rate (HGR, mL/g min). HGR was 1540.4 mL/gcat. min. in the presence of the Co@PTA@Fe3O4@KLN at optimum points obtained via RSM (NaBH4 amount 0.34 M, NaOH amount 7.9 wt%, catalyst amount 3.84 mg/mL, and Co loading rate 6.1%). The reusability performance of the catalyst used in hydrolysis of NaBH4 was investigated under optimum conditions. It was concluded that the catalyst is quite stable.