M-BDC (M = Co and/ or Fe) MOFs as effective catalysts for hydrogen generation via hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Abstract

Mono- (Co-BDC, Fe-BDC) and bimetallic FeCo-BDC Metal-Organic Frameworks are successfully synthesized by the solvothermal method in DMF at 150 °C within 15 h and tested as catalysts for sodium borohydride hydrolysis. The materials are characterized by FTIR, PXRD, TGA, ICP-OES, H2-TPR, BET model, and SEM-EDS. The catalytic activity of these materials is studied for dehydrogenation of sodium borohydride in water at various temperatures under basic conditions. Among tested catalysts, the most promising is Co-BDC, which provides hydrogen generation with a good rate of 1886.8 mL min−1 gcat−1 at 319 K and high efficiency (77.7 %) in the presence of a base. The activation energy determined as 25.4 kJ mol−1 is lower than most cobalt-bearing catalysts for NaBH4 hydrolysis described in the literature. The catalyst can be reused at least ten times, keeping a good overall hydrogen generation yield, and thus can be considered a promising candidate for portable hydrogen fuel systems.