Ternary NiCoP urchin like 3D nanostructure supported on nickel foam as a catalyst for hydrogen generation of alkaline NaBH4

Abstract

Hydrogen storage materials processing had bestowed vitality in the hydrogen production which leads to the development of diverse catalytic technologies satisfying efficiency improvement and economic versatility. Herein, we developed a ternary 3D urchin like nickel and cobalt transition metal phosphide catalyst deposited on nickel foam (NiCoP/NF) for hydrolysis of NaBH4 via an easy synthesis route of hydrothermal in-situ deposition followed by phosphidation. Its distinctive urchin like morphological architecture and crystal configuration enable the supported catalyst to exhibit a remarkable catalytic activity. Synergistic effect of binary metal composite was investigated through preparation of various heterogeneous NiCoP/NF catalysts with different elemental metal ratio. Among the different NiCoP/NF prepared, Ni0.8Co1.2P/NF demonstrated the highest hydrogen yield of 3986 (mL min−1 g−1) with an activation energy of 38.3 (kJ mol−1) relatively comparable to the activity of noble metal catalysts. The overall performance of the catalyst is due to the following factors: the innate characteristics of phosphidized transition metal, the existence of bimetallic synergetic feature and morphological construction.