Sodium Borohydride Concentration Research Articles

Fast and simple synthesis of triangular silver nanoparticles under the assistance of light

Herein, the fast and simple formation of triangular silver nanoparticles (T-Ag NPs) was systematically studied by a chemical reduction process with the assistance of light irradiation. The effects of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) concentration, pH medium, and light source irradiation are investigated via the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) detection of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Results indicated that pH and light source are the two primary factors for the morphology of Ag NPs while NaBH4 plays an important role to control the formation rate of T-Ag NPs. Moreover, the photoreduction time for synthesis of T-Ag NPs is 180 min, and this method can be easily synthesized in any laboratory.

A parametric study on the relationship between NaBH4 and tribological properties in the nickel-boron electroless depositions

Electroless nickel-boron deposits were produced on mild steel substrates at a different sodium borohydride (NaBH4) concentration in the plating bath and subjected to heat treatment under argon atmosphere to improve their wear and mechanical properties. Influences of different NaBH4 concentrations in the plating bath on coating’s phase structure, composition, hardness tribology properties were evaluated. The surface morphology and chemical composition of Ni-B coatings have been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), respectively. Nanoindentation testing of the depositions was carried out with nanoindentation apparatus equipped with a Berkovich indenter. Tribological properties of Ni-B depositions were investigated with a reciprocating ball-on-disc testing under different loads at room temperature. The wear test was carried out at different loads and the results indicated that the best wear properties of the Ni-B coating could be obtained at NaBH4 concentration of 1 g l−1.

Development of magnetically separable Cu catalyst supported by pre-treated steel slag

Wastewater contaminated with organic compounds is a serious problem; therefore, many catalysts, especially copper catalysts, have been developed to treat it and remove contaminants before discharge. However, such separation and reuse of these catalysts is often challenging. Steel slag (SS), a by-product of steel production, is produced in large quantities and requires careful disposal. Therefore, in this study, we developed a magnetically recyclable copper catalyst utilizing pre-treated magnetic steel slag (MSS) as a support. First, magnetic separation was carried out to remove calcium silicate impurities such as alite and belite in MSS up to five times, thus increasing the Fe content of the MSS. We synthesized the Cu catalyst supported by MSS (donated as Cu@MSS) and characterized the catalyst by various surface analysis techniques, showing the presence of CuO and CuCO3 nanoparticles on the MSS surface. In catalytic reduction tests of para-nitrophenol using sodium borohydride in the presence of Cu@MSS, the reaction was accelerated when using the five-times pre-treated MSS because of the removal of inhibitors such as calcium compounds, as well as the high content of iron oxides leading to a synergetic effect with metallic Cu in this study. In addition, we investigated the effects of various factors, including Cu loading, sodium borohydride concentration, and catalyst dosage, on the catalytic activity of Cu@MSS. The catalyst was found to be stable and reusable. In summary, these results suggest that treated SS can be used as a support material for copper catalysts for the treatment of contaminated wastewater and the easy separation and reuse of the catalyst.

Catalytic Reduction of Nitrobenzene Using Silver Nanoparticles Embedded Calcium Alginate Film.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles embedded on calcium alginate film and the catalytic property of this film in the reduction of nitrobenzene with sodium borohydride are demonstrated in this work. Natural polymer alginate acts as effective reducing and stabilizing agent in synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Effect of different parameters on the preparation of silver nanoparticles, such as, temperature, concentration of silver precursor and heating time was investigated. As-prepared silver nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrometry, and atomic absorption spectrometry. Transmission electron microscopy analysis con-firms the formation of silver nanoparticles with particles size range of 3-19 nm and average particle size was found to be 10±4 nm. Effect of concentration of nitrobenzene and sodium borohydride, catalyst loading and temperature on the catalytic reduction of nitrobenzene was studied. Reusability of catalyst was examined in this reduction reaction and the catalyst shows good activity up to 10th run.

Preformed Au colloidal nanoparticles immobilised on NiO as highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol

A facile approach to synthesise highly active and stable Au/NiO catalysts for the hydrogenation of nitro-aromatics is reported. Preformed gold nanoparticles have been immobilized onto NiO using a colloidal method. In this article, the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 has been used as a model reaction to investigate the catalytic activity of synthesised Au/NiO catalysts. In addition, we report a systematic study of the reduction kinetics, and the influence of specific reaction parameters such as (i) temperature, (ii) stirring rate, (iii) sodium borohydride concentration and (iv) substrate/metal molar ratio. The reaction has been performed at a substrate/metal molar ratio of 7.4, a ratio significantly higher than previously reported. Reusability of the catalyst has been examined, with little to no decrease in activity observed over 5 catalytic cycles. Systematic variation of Au loading reveals the successful synthesis of low cost and efficient Au/NiO catalysts at very low Au content and using high substrate/metal molar ratios.

Metallosurfactants derived Pd-NiO nanocomposite for remediation of nitrophenol in water

The present report focuses on the efficient and operationally simple synthesis of Pd-based nanocomposite (NCs) such as Pd-NiO NCs using bisdodecylamine palladium (II) chloride and bisdodecylamine nickel (II) chloride metallosurfactants as precursors. Unlike other synthetic approaches, the metallosurfactant precursors ensured the simultaneous formation of metal and metal oxide components of NCs. As-obtained Pd-NiO NCs were having uniform size distribution (12–20 nm) and showed remarkable catalytic activity in remediation of well-known organic pollutant, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), at the room temperature. A typical reaction involving the reduction of the 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) using sodium borohydride was studied by varying various parameters such as catalyst dose, 4-NP and sodium borohydride concentrations. The performance of the catalyst was monitored using UV–Vis spectroscopy and the reaction was found to follow pseudo-first order kinetics. The catalytic efficiency of the synthesized Pd-NiO NCs was assessed in terms of their rate constant values. The mechanism involved the adsorption-desorption of 4-NP over the active sites of NCs. Owing to its significant catalytic activity, the present system qualifies both in terms of efficiency and economic viability over pure Pd systems. Further, the work is anticipated to open up new insights into designing of high performance metal-metal oxide based NCs for variety of applications.

3D-printed microfluidic device for the synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles

For the first time, a 3D-printed microfluidic device based on fused deposition modeling was created using poly(lactic acid) as the 3D-printed part on top of a poly(methyl methacrylate) slide, allowing the creation of transparent microfluidic channels and used on the continuous-flow synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles. In order to reduce fouling inside the microchannels, the device was optimized to use a segmented flow of mineral oil. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using different concentrations of sodium borohydride and flow rates of reactants (30 and 120 μL min−1) at 20 °C, with sizes ranging from 5 ± 2 nm to 8 ± 3 nm and verified to be stable for at least three weeks. Subsequently, the silver nanoparticles were applied on measurement of gallic acid using a modified carbon paste electrode. Gold nanoparticles were synthesized at 90 °C varying the concentration of trisodium citrate and flow rates of reactants (40 and 100 μL min−1), yielding sizes from 20 ± 9 to 34 ± 12 nm and verified to be stable for at least three weeks. Afterwards, the gold nanoparticles were employed in surfaced enhanced Raman scattering using crystal violet as model molecule.

Experimental studies on the catalytic behavior of alloy and core-shell supported Co-Ni bimetallic nano-catalysts for hydrogen generation by hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Monometallic (Co) and bimetallic (Co-Ni and Co-Cu) oxides catalysts supported on the almond based activated carbon (AC) were prepared by the heterogeneous deposition-precipitation method. The activity of these catalysts was evaluated as a function of reaction temperature, NaOH, and NaBH4 concentration. Several analysis methods including XRD, XPS, FTIR, TEM, FESEM, ICP-OES, and BET were applied to characterize the structure of prepared samples. Well-dispersed supported bimetallic nano-catalysts with the size of particles below 20 nm were formed by using nickel and copper oxides as a promoter which was confirmed by XRD and TEM techniques. Surface composition of alloy and core-shell cobalt-nickel oxides catalysts was analyzed by ICP-OES which was in a good agreement with nominal content during catalyst preparation. The performance of bimetallic cobalt-nickel oxides catalysts indicated the synergic effect between cobalt and nickel in comparison with monometallic and bimetallic cobalt-copper samples for hydrogen production. Maximum hydrogen generation rate was measured for the supported core-shell catalyst as named Ni1/Co3/AC. The reaction rate increased with increasing the temperature of the alkaline solution as a significant parameter while other operating conditions were kept constant. The optimal values for NaOH and NaBH4 content were calculated to be 10 wt % for both variables at 30 °C. Hydrogen production rates were calculated to be 252.0, 310.8 and 658.8 mL min−1.g−1 by applying Co3/Ni1/AC, Co3-Ni1/AC (alloy) and Ni1/Co3/AC at 30 °C in 5 wt % NaBH4 and 5 wt % NaOH solutions, respectively. Obtained activation energy (50 kJ mol−1) illustrated that the suitable catalysts were synthesized for hydrogen generation. The experimental study showed that the hydrolysis of NaBH4 was a zero-order type reaction with the respect to the sodium borohydride concentration. A semi empirical kinetic model was derived at the various temperatures and NaOH concentrations.

Improvement of the chemical synthesis efficiency of nano-scale zero-valent iron particles

This study investigates the synthesis conditions of nano-scale zero-valent iron (nZVI) formed by the chemical reduction method via an optimization process in order to enhance the nZVI’s reactivity. The properties of nZVI particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, laser diffraction particle size analyzer and X-ray diffraction. The performance of nZVI was evaluated using the nitrate and phosphorus solutions. The optimization results for the effective variables, namely concentration, delivery rate and liquid volume of sodium borohydride (NaBH4), precursor concentration (FeCl3), reaction temperature, mixing speed, pH and aging time were demonstrated the improvement in nZVI reactivity. The results confirm that nZVI proved high removal efficiency along with the lower particle size at NaBH4 concentration 16 g/L. The feeding rate of NaBH4 at 40 mL/min can effectively reduce the particle size and increase the nZVI reactivity. Increasing the NaBH4 liquid volume greatly improved the reactivity. Reduction of reaction aging time to 5 min and employing the acidic reaction medium of 6 pH greatly improved the nZVI reactivity. The highest mixing speed of 1000 rpm enhanced the phosphorus adsorption efficiency. However, high nitrate reduction was observed at 500 rpm. Increasing the reaction temperature resulted in decreasing the average particle size and the highest reactivity was achieved at 90 °C. nZVI reactivity significantly was improved in the direction of low precursor concentration, and the highest efficiency was gained at 20 mg/L. In conclusion, the optimized parameters enhanced the overall efficiency of nZVI of nitrate reduction and phosphorus adsorption by 27% and 9.5% respectively.

Borohydride oxidation reaction mechanisms and poisoning effects on Au, Pt and Pd bulk electrodes: From model (low) to direct borohydride fuel cell operating (high) concentrations

The borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) was characterized on the three most-studied noble metals (Au, Pt and Pd) in a range of NaBH4 concentration and temperature that enables to bridge model studies of the BOR (low concentration) to more practical ones, relevant to the direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) operation. BOR mechanistic insights were unveiled using the complementary techniques of rotating disk electrode cyclic voltamperometry, rotating ring-disk electrode measurements of the BH3OH− production and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry detection of H2 escape. When the concentration of sodium borohydride is brought to DBFC-like operating conditions, the H2 escape is more severe and the poisoning effect of the metal surfaces by the BOR intermediates (BHads or BH3,ads) is more significant, and stronger on Pt surfaces compared to Au and Pd ones. Even at high NaBH4 concentrations, Pd exhibits promising BOR kinetics, making of this material an interesting candidate for DBFC anode electrocatalysis. These data enabled to complement our previous kinetic model and to confirm the BH3 species oxidation pathways for NaBH4 concentrations of 5 mM and 50 mM. However, this model is incomplete for high borohydride concentrations; it does not take into account possible local pH variations and cannot explain the origin of the important reduction currents measured at high potential on the Au ring electrodes. Finally, it is shown that the BOR mechanism at Pd electrodes must take into account PdH formation and oxidation.

The Removal of Cu (II) from Aqueous Solution using Sodium Borohydride as a Reducing Agent

The removal and recovery of metals from wastewater has been a subject of significant importance due the negative impact these toxic metals have on human health and the environment as a result of water and soil pollution. Increased use of the metals and chemicals in the process industries has resulted in generation of large quantity of effluents that contains high level of toxic metals and other pollutants. The objective of this work was to recover of Cu in its elemental form as metallic powder from aqueous solution using NaBH4 as a reducing agent. Reductive precipitation was achieved in a batch reactor at 65°C using Cu powder as a seeding material. This study also investigated the effect of concentration of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a reducing agent. The amount of NaBH4 was varied based on mole ratios which are 1:1, 1:0.25 and 1:0.1 to recover Cu from synthetic wastewater. The results obtained showed that sodium borohydride is an effective reducing agent to recover Cu from wastewater. The optimum concentration of NaBH4 that gives the best results the 1:1 molar ratio with over 99% Cu removal.

Development of a sensitive closed batch vessel hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry method for the determination of cadmium in aqueous samples

ABSTRACTHydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry was used as a simple, sensitive, and economical method for the determination of cadmium at trace levels. This study includes a stepwise optimization of all parameters that have an impact on the production, transport, and atomization of cadmium hydride for rapid determination due to the unstable nature of the hydride produced. The cell temperature for atomization, pump period, and flow rate of carrier gas were varied, and the best conditions were defined to obtain lower detection limits. In addition, the acid and sodium borohydride concentrations were optimized since they directly affect the production of the cadmium hydride. Under optimum experimental conditions, the hydride generation efficiency was greatly enhanced to record optimized analytical signals. The accuracy of the method was determined by the analysis of a certified reference material, and the results were in good agreement with the certified value. A linear dynamic range for cadmium was observed from 0.10 to 2.0 µg/L. High sensitivity was obtained with a limit of detection of 0.029 µg/L.

Engineering of responsive polymer based nano-reactors for facile mass transport and enhanced catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol

Silver nanoparticles with average diameter of 10±3nm were synthesized within the sieves of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-acrylic acid) (p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc)) polymer microgels. Free radial emulsion polymerization was employed for synthesis of p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc) polymer microgels. Silver nanoparticles were introduced within the microgels sphere by in situ reduction method. Microgels and hybrid microgels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultra violet-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements. Catalytic activity of Ag-p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc) hybrid microgels was studied using catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a model reaction in aqueous media. The influence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) concentration, catalyst dose and 4-NP concentration on catalytic reduction of 4-NP was investigated. A linear relationship was found between catalyst dose and apparent rate constant (kapp). The mechanism of catalysis by hybrid microgels was explored for further development in this area. The deep analysis of catalytic process reveals that the unique combination of NIPAAm, HEMA and AAc does not only stabilize silver nanoparticles in polymer network but it also enhances the mass transport of hydrophilic substrate like 4-NP from outside to inside the polymer network.

Acetylcholinesterase-based inhibition screening through in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles: Application for detection of nerve agent simulant

We report a novel, simple, and sensitive colorimetric assay by the in situ formation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of acetylcholinesterase and acetylthiocholine for the detection of chemical warfare agent simulant, 1,5-bis(4-allyldimethylammoniumphenyl)pentan-3-one dibromide (BW284c51). In this method, we used a low concentration (7mM) of sodium borohydride to produce stable gold nanoparticles by the enzymatic hydrolysis of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The product of enzymatic reaction thiocholine acts as a stabilizing agent. UV–visible spectra and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the formation of stable gold nanoparticles in the presence of enzymatically produced thiol molecule. The in situ formation of gold nanoparticles was hindered by the addition of AChE inhibitor, BW284c51, which irreversibly blocked the active sites and decreased the production of thiol molecule. This, in turn, caused a decrease in the absorption peak of the nanoparticles at 520nm. The proposed method achieved a limit of detection of 0.77×10−9M. The probe was also successfully used for determination of chemical warfare agent simulant, BW284c51 in spiked real water samples.

The role of cobalt hydroxide in deactivation of thin film Co-based catalysts for sodium borohydride hydrolysis

Deactivation of a Co catalyst prepared as thin film by magnetron sputtering was studied for the sodium borohydride (SB) hydrolysis reaction under different conditions. Under high SB concentration in single run experiments, the formation of a B-O passivating layer was observed after 1.5 and 24h use. This layer was not responsible for the catalyst deactivation. Instead, a peeling-off mechanism produced the loss of cobalt. This peeling-off mechanism was further studied in cycling experiments (14 cycles) under low SB concentrations. Ex-situ study of catalyst surface after use and solid reaction products (precipitates) was performed by X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The presence of cobalt hydroxide and oxyhydroxide was detected as major components on the catalyst surface after use and as precipitates in the supernatant solutions after washing. Cobalt borate, cobalt carbonate and oxycarbonate were also formed but in lesser amounts. These oxidized cobalt species were formed and further detached from the catalyst at the end of the reaction and/or during catalyst washing by decomposition of the unstable in-situ formed cobalt boride. Leaching of cobalt soluble species was negligible. Thin film mechanical detachment was also found but in a smaller extent. To study the influence of catalyst composition on deactivation processes, cycling experiments were performed with Co-B and Co-C catalysts, also prepared as thin films. We found that the deactivation mechanism proposed by us for the pure Co catalyst also occurred for a different pure Co (prepared at higher pressure) and the Co-B and Co-C samples in our experimental conditions.

Preparation and characterization of poly(N-isoproylacrylamide-co-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) microgels and their composites of gold nanoparticles

This work reports the crosslinkage of N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and N, N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in water using N, N’- methylene-bis(acrylamide) (BIS) as crosslinker. The particle size, volume phase transition temperature (VPTT), swelling and deswelling behaviors of the obtained poly(NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) microgels were studied at different temperature and pH using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Additionally, investigation of particle size and VPTT of the microgels was done by altering the content ratio of DMAEMA monomer. The prepared microgels were used as a nanoreactor for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as reducing agent. The in situ synthesized Au-NPs were characterized and visualized by UV–vis Spectroscopy and TEM analysis, respectively. Optical properties of poly(NIPAM-co-DMAEMA)/Au-NPs composite were studied by changing the concentration of gold(III) chloride trihydrate (HAuCl4·3H2O), sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and temperature of the system. The prepared microgel composite were used as a catalyst for the reduction of toxic 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) with apparent rate constant (kapp) of 0.336min−1. Catalytic activities of the microgel composite were tuned by making use of thermoresponsive behavior of the microgels. Due to temperature and pH responsive nature of the synthesized microgels they have potential for application in drug delivery and sensory materials.

The optimization of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering for quantitative analysis and detection of molecules

This study produced colloidal silver nanoparticle solution, and used the silver nanoparticles in the colloidal silver solution to adsorb dye molecule rhodamine 6 G, measure the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and test the ability of colloidal silver nanoparticle solution to detect unimolecules. The Taguchi method was used for optimizing experimental parameters. The SERS and Blinking signals were measured. The two groups of single quality optimum parameter combinations were used as the parental gene of the first-generation population in the genetic algorithm, evolving the next-generation population of high fitness function value. The back-propagation neural system was used as the fitness function indicator of the genetic algorithm, until the gene combination of multi-quality optimization is evolved. Finally, the multi-quality optimal preparation parameter combination was determined as sodium chloride content of 600 μl, mixing time of 90 min, sodium borohydride concentration of [Formula: see text], and dye molecule concentration of [Formula: see text]. The intensity of SERS and unimolecule detection capability were validated by confirmation experimentation.

Reduction and reuse of Fe–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles oxide and evaluating its ability in acid red 14 removal

In this study, an innovative method was investigated for resloving the problem involved in iron–nickel nanoparticles reuse in dye removal. The completely oxidized nanoparticles, once used for dye removal, were separated from the solution and reduced with different concentrations of sodium borohydride. After SEM and EDAX analyses, 54 experiments were carried out using RSM method by applying Box–Behnken model. The obtained high coefficient of determination and very small P‐value (<0.0001) demonstrated that the model was appropriate to characterize the actual relationship between the response and input values. In this model, six independent variables including sodium borohydride concentration, contact time, shaking speed, time passed from oxidation, dye concentration, and nanoparticles concentration were studied to optimize the removal of Acid Red 14. According to ANOVA analyses and the obtained graphs, it was observed that the shaking speed of reducer solution and nanoparticles concentration were the most effective parameters, whereas the interval between oxidation of nanoparticles and their further reduction had no significant impact on removal efficiency. By maximum dye removal with the lowest reducer and nanoparticles concentration in optimum conditions predicted by the model ([NaBH4] = 2 g L−1, contact time = 104 min, shaking speed = 43 rpm, time passed = 0 day, [dye] = 200 mg L−1, [NPs] = 0.4 g L−1), the removal efficiency of 92.57% would be achieved. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1646–1656, 2016

Effect of adding reducing agent on the structure and optical properties of one-pot preparation method of CdTe quantum dots

One-pot and facile preparation of highly luminescent and water-soluble CdTe nanoparticles was reported. The CdTe nanoparticles were prepared using cadmium acetate as a source of cadmium, 3-mercaptopropionic acid as capping and stabilizing agent, potassium tellurite as a source of Te, and sodium borohydride as reducing agent. The effect of adding different molar percentages of sodium borohydride was investigated. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The results indicated that the concentration of sodium borohydride had a significant effect on the phase structure, particle size, composition and luminescence of CdTe nanoparticles. With increasing sodium borohydride concentration, the Te/Cd atomic ratios of the prepared CdTe sample increased and the phase structure gradually changed from cubic and hexagonal mixed phase to pure hexagonal phase. Also, the luminescence intensity was greatly enhanced by decreasing sodium borohydride concentration. The prepared nanoparticles with low percentages of sodium borohydride are promising for light emitting device applications and biological labels. However, the samples prepared with high percentage of sodium borohydride might be possible to use as an effective material for applications in solar cells and photocatalysis.

Deposition of Pt Nanoparticles on Ni Foam Via Galvanic Displacement

In the present study the Ni foam was modified with Pt nanoparticles via the galvanic displacement technique. A thin electroless Ni sublayer was deposited on the Ni foam substrate. Then, Pt nanoparticles were deposited on Ni/Nifoam by its immersion into a platinum(IV)-containing solution for various time periods. The morphology, structure and composition of the prepared catalysts were examined by means of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of Pt(Ni)/Nifoam with different Pt loadings was determined by measuring the amount of hydrogen generated directly from aqueous alkaline solutions of sodium borohydride and compared with that of Pt. The data on hydrogen generation volume with respect to time at different concentrations of sodium borohydride and different temperatures have been presented. It was found that the Pt(Ni)/Nifoam catalysts show enhanced catalytic activity towards hydrogen generation as compared to that of Ni/Nifoam. Acknowledgment This research was funded by a Grant (No. TEC-06/2015) from the Research Council of Lithuania.