Abstract
Searching for inexpensive, durable, and active catalysts for the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) is an important subject in the field of hydrogen energy. In this study, we have fabricated NiCo nanorod arrays anchored on copper foam (CF) by a simple hydrothermal process. The catalytic performance of those array catalysts in AB hydrolysis was studied. It was found that NiCo-1/CF showed the highest catalytic activity with a hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 1.03 Lhydrogen g−1 min−1, which was much higher than that for the unsupported NiCo-1 catalyst. It has been demonstrated that strong base can significantly enhance hydrogen production. After six catalytic cycles, the morphology, crystal structure, and catalytic activity were maintained, indicating that the NiCo-1/CF sample showed good reusability and high durability. Considering their low cost and high performance, the NiCo nanorod arrays anchored on CF can be a strong candidate catalyst for hydrogen generation for mobile hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells.
Highlights
The traditional carbon-based energy system is regarded as the main source of environmental pollution, which brings great challenges to the sustainable development of our society
The magnified SEM image reveals the surface is rather coarse and filled with many nanorods (Figure 1C). These nanorods are vertical to the copper foam (CF) surface, which looks like a nanorod array
The samples were characterized with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), SEM, and energy disperse spectrometer (EDS)
Summary
The traditional carbon-based energy system is regarded as the main source of environmental pollution, which brings great challenges to the sustainable development of our society. Figen et al prepared an amorphous Co-B catalyst by a sol-gel reaction and carried out catalytic hydrolysis of AB under ultrasonic conditions (Figen and Coskuner, 2013) They found the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) was 0.9152 Lhydrogen g−1 min−1. The overall cost of the catalytic process in practical applications can be remarkably reduced Considering these factors together, it is believed that a Co/Nibased film catalyst composed of nanocatalysts with wellcontrolled morphology will exhibit superior catalytic performance compared to their powdery counterparts and provide great potential in practical applications. It is interesting to note that NiCo nanorods supported on CF show high activity with a HGR of 1.03 Lhydrogen g−1 min−1 in AB hydrolysis. The hydrogen volume was monitored during different catalytic runs, and the stability and reusability of the catalyst were assessed
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