Abstract
ISOBAM-104 protected Rh/Ni bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) of 3.1 nm in diameter were synthesized by a co-reduction method with a rapid injection of KBH4 solution. The catalytic activities of as-prepared BNPs for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of a basic KBH4 solution were evaluated. Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were employed to characterize the structure, particle size, and chemical composition of the resultant BNPs. Catalytic activities for hydrolysis of KBH4 and catalytic kinetics of prepared BNPs were also investigated. It was shown that Rh/Ni BNPs displayed much higher catalytic activities than that of Rh or Ni monometallic nanoparticles (MNPs), and the prepared Rh10Ni90 BNPs possessed the highest catalytic activities with a value of 11580 mol-H2·h−1·mol-Rh−1. The high catalytic activities of Rh/Ni BNPs could be attributed to the electron transfer effect between Rh and Ni atoms, which was confirmed by a density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The apparent activation energy for hydrogen generation of the prepared Rh10Ni90 BNPs was about 47.2 ± 2.1 kJ/mol according to a kinetic study.
Highlights
Hydrogen is one of many potential alternatives to replace nonrenewable fuel sources that are used nowadays, as it is an environmentally-friendly and renewable energy carrier
There is no surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of Rh, Ni monometallic nanoparticles (MNPs) or Rh/Ni bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) in measuring range, which is consistent with previous reports [9,18]
The spectra of aqueous dispersed Rh/Ni BNPs displays featureless absorbance that monotonically increase toward a higher Rh content
Summary
Hydrogen is one of many potential alternatives to replace nonrenewable fuel sources that are used nowadays, as it is an environmentally-friendly and renewable energy carrier. An extensive body of research has been published on hydrogen storage including liquid hydrogen storage, high pressure gaseous hydrogen storage, adsorption hydrogen storage, metal hydride hydrogen storage, organic compounds hydrogen storage, and liquid phase chemical hydrogen storage [1,2,3,4]. Among these methods, liquid phase chemical hydrogen storage attracted considerable attention due to their high hydrogen content, high hydrogen purity, and easy control of the hydrogen generation rate [5,6]. Catalysts are important for hydrolysis of KBH4 , as shown in formula (1): Catalyst
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