Hydrolysis of NaBH4 using carbonized melamine foam-supported cobalt borate composite catalyst for H2 production

Abstract

Catalysts are crucial for the hydrolysis of NaBH4, and noble metal catalysts cannot be used in large-scale NaBH4 hydrolysis because of their high cost. Therefore, developing low-cost, high-activity, non-precious metal catalysts is the focus of current research. In this study, a composite catalyst with a coral rod-like structure was synthesized by loading CoB particles on the surface of a carbonized melamine foam (CMF)-CoO composite carrier. For preparing CMF-CoO, thick flakes of Co-MOF precursors were grown on CMF and calcined in an inert atmosphere. Then, CoB particles were loaded using a chemical reduction method to obtain the CMF-CoO-CoB catalyst. The morphology and microstructure of the CMF-CoO-CoB catalyst were characterized through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalyst efficiently catalyzes the hydrolysis of NaBH4, providing a hydrogen release rate of 6974 mL∙min−1∙g−1. The activation energy is 35.05 kJ∙mol−1 at 30 °C. In addition, 80.4% of the catalytic activity of CMF-CoO-CoB was retained after five catalytic cycles. The CMF-CoO-CoB catalyst has a significantly higher activity and better cycling stability than the catalyst using a single carrier. Thus, the CMF-CoO-CoB composite catalyst with excellent performance has high potential for application in the hydrolysis of NaBH4.