Hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride by sulfonated polymers

Abstract

In this study, hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride was achieved via disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers. Protons on the sulfone groups of copolymers catalyzed the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride and produced hydrogen. The hydrogen generation rate was affected by the disulfonation degree, which is an indication of the amount of sulfone groups in the copolymer. The rate showed an increment as the disulfonation degree increased. Additionally, the hydrogen generation rate was a function of both the copolymer amount and borohydride concentration. Moreover, the reaction had relatively low activation energy and was calculated from the Arrhenius plot as 19.2 kJ mol−1. Furthermore, copolymers were found highly reusable with optimized treatment conditions and could preserve their catalytic activity up to 25 runs.