Influence of plasma treatment on Ce0.05–Ni–W–B catalyst for hydrogen production by hydrolysis of NaBH4

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of plasma treatment on the surface of Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst. The Ce0.05–Ni–W–B catalysts were treated with argon plasma at a different treatment time. Ce was used as a promoter. NaBH4 concentration, NaOH concentration, temperature, plasma applying time and plasma gases was investigated for the hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of NaBH4 with Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst. The catalysts were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results of the activity tests indicate that the plasma treatment greatly influence the activity. The activation energies for zero-order of the untreated and plasma treated Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalysts were found to be 51.87 and 41.18 kJ mol−1, respectively.