Sodium Borohydride Research Articles

Hydrogen generation by hydrolysis of alkaline NaBH4 solution doped with amorphous catalyst Co–Y2O3–B/CNTs

This investigation enhances the catalytic efficiency of Co–B/CNTs for hydrogen production via sodium borohydride hydrolysis by doping with 5%Y2O3. Such doping significantly boosts hydrogen evolution rates, with Co–Y2O3–B/CNTs achieving a production rate of 1083.43 ml g−1·min−1—surpassing Co–B/CNTs by 1.5 times and tripling that of Co–B catalysts. SEM and XRD analyses show Y2O3 doping reduces particle aggregation and maintains the catalyst's amorphous state, thereby increasing the active surface area. Furthermore, XPS analysis demonstrates that introducing yttrium into Co–B/CNTs catalysts improves their surface elemental composition and valence states. This improvement boosts catalyst performance and stability by enhancing electron transfer and particle size optimization. Optimal hydrolysis is achieved at an NaOH concentration of 2.5 mol/L, with higher concentrations diminishing hydrogen production due to increased viscosity from by-product formation. Additionally, Co–Y2O3–B/CNTs catalysts exhibit commendable durability, maintaining more than two-thirds of their initial activity after five reuse cycles, outperforming comparable catalysts to a moderate extent. These findings underscore the beneficial role of Y2O3 in the Co–B/CNTs framework, promoting Y2O3-doped catalysts for their enhanced efficiency, sustainability, and hydrogen production capabilities.

Experimental Investigation for the Preparation of Taro Leaf Nanoparticles by Sol-Gel Method and its Characterization

Abstract: In the present work, nano particles of Taro leaf were successfully synthesized chemically by modified Sol-gel method. Methanol is used as a solvent and buffers are added to take care for the homogeneity and PH value of the solution. Compared to micro particles, Nanoparticles have advanced characteristics and distinctly different properties. Taro leaf nanoparticles are one of the leaves nanoparticles which has varied and different properties when compared to other. Taro Leaf nanoparticles have considerable attention due to their attractive physical and chemical properties, Silver nitrate is taken as the metal precursor and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. This preparation is simple, but the great care must be exercised to make stable particles. Here the Taro leaf nanoparticles are synthesized by sol gel process. Therefore the nanoparticles are characterized by the different techniques like SEM to find the size morphology and composition of leaf nanoparticles, XRD to know the lattice parameters. The peaks in the XRD pattern are in good agreement with the standard values.

Iron nanoparticles prepared from South African acid mine drainage for the treatment of methylene blue in wastewater.

In this study, three acid mine drainage (AMD) sources were investigated as potential sources of iron for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles using green tea extract (an environmentally friendly reductant) or sodium borohydride (a chemical reductant). Electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), ion chromatography (IC), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) techniques were used to characterize the AMD, and the most suitable AMD sample was selected based on availability. Additionally, three tea extracts were characterized using ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazine-hydrate (DPPH), and the most suitable environmentally friendly reductant was selected based on the highest FRAP (1152µmol FeII/g) and DPPH (71%) values. The synthesized iron nanoparticles were characterized and compared using XRD, STEM, Image J, EDS, and FTIR analytical techniques. The study shows that the novel iron nanoparticles produced using the selected green tea (57nm) and AMD were stable under air due to the surface modification by polyphenols contained in green tea extract, whereas the nanoparticles produced using sodium borohydride (67nm) were unstable under air and produced a toxic supernatant. Both the AMD-based iron nanoparticles can be used as Fenton-like catalysts for the decoloration of methylene blue solution. While 99% decoloration was achieved by the borohydride-synthesized nanoparticles, 81% decoloration was achieved using green tea-synthesized nanoparticles.

Modulating composition and electronic structure enhance the catalytic performance of Co2MO4 (M=Fe, Ni, Cu) for NaBH4 hydrolysis

The synergistic effect between metals is of great significance for improving the performance of materials, but the mechanism of synergistic catalytic of bimetallic has rarely been reported in the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4, SB). In this paper, a flower shaped Co2FeO4 catalyst with high catalytic performance was selected from a series of CoxM3-xO4 (M = Fe, Ni, Cu) catalysts by controlling the composition. Based on the results of XPS characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the influence of component control on catalytic performance was discussed and explained from the perspective of electronic structure, and the "valence band center" and "D-band center" descriptors were introduced into the SB hydrolysis reaction. The simulation analysis results showed that the synergistic effect between Co–Fe elements resulted in the smallest center shift of the D band, the smallest binding energy of the hydrolysis reaction, and the best promoting effect on the electronic structure, manifested as the best catalytic performance. The calculation results were consistent with the XPS characterization results and the experimental results of hydrolysis performance testing, revealing the principle of bimetallic synergistic effect on catalytic performance.

Eco-Friendly biogenic synthesis, characterization of Au/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles and its catalytic activity towards degradation of Rhodamine-B

Eco-Friendly biogenic synthesis of gold and iron oxide (Au/Fe3O4) Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) using Lepidagathis cristata (LC) leaf extract act as capping and reducing agent. The prepared MNPs was characterized by different analytical techniques such as UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, TEM, VSM and BET adsorption-desorption methods. The XRD revealed the formation of LC/Au/Fe3O4 MNPs with crystallite size of about~30 nm. The synthesized LC/Au/Fe3O4 MNPs were found to be ferromagnetic nature, which was confirmed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. Besides, the prepared composite exhibits high specific surface area of 23.6 m2g-1. As well as, the LC/Au/Fe3O4 MNPs showed a good catalytic nature for the degradation of Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) in the presence of Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in aqueous solution.

Synthesis and characterization of Ag@Ni co-axial nanocables and their fluorescent and catalytic properties

Abstract We report here a convenient, rapid one-pot synthesis of new metal–metal core–shell nanocomposites comprising silver nanowires (AgNWs) coated with nickel. The resulting AgNWs and nickel-coated silver nanocables average 60–80 nm in diameter were prepared by the polyol synthetic route. This method employed ethylene glycol as a reducing agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone as a capping agent. These nanomaterials are designated as AgNWs (0.1 M) and Ag@Ni (0.2 M), Ag@Ni (0.3 M), Ag@Ni (0.4 M), and Ag@Ni (0.5 M) nanocables based on the nickel content and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The morphology of each nanowire and nanocable was clarified using SEM, while EDX quantified the presence of Ni. XRD patterns confirmed the face-centered cubic structure of the nanomaterials. The Debye–Scherrer formula was applied to establish different characteristics such as crystallite size and lattice constant. Surface plasmon resonance was measured using UV−Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence of each product was determined by PL spectroscopy, respectively. Both the AgNWs and Ag@Ni nanocables catalyze the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol by sodium borohydride.

Post-treatment induced anisotropic growth of MOF-derived surface modified heterogeneous catalyst for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

The advancement of electrocatalysts exhibiting outstanding performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), crucial for hydrogen production, holds immense significance in addressing energy shortages and mitigating environmental pollution. In this study, a novel approach to synthesizing Co-MOF (Metal-Organic Framework) directly immobilized onto a Ni foam substrate through hydrothermal synthesis is presented. In contrast to conventional methods employing powder-based synthesis with binders, our direct attachment method offers a unique and efficient means of creating robust Co-MOF at Ni foam (Co-MOF@NF) hybrid catalysts. Subsequently, a chemical reduction approach utilizing sodium borohydride was employed to introduce surface modification into the Co-MOF structure. The resulting material, sodium borohydride treated Co-MOF@NF (Red. 1 h Co-MOF@NF), exhibited a remarkable enhancement in OER activity compared to the pristine Co-MOF@NF sample. Notably, Red.1 h Co-MOF@NF demonstrated a substantially reduced overpotential of 235 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻2, in contrast to the 300 mV overpotential required by the pristine Co-MOF@NF under the same conditions. Furthermore, the Red.1 h Co-MOF@NF catalyst displayed exceptional stability, sustaining a current density of 50 mA cm⁻2 for over 48 h, highlighting its promising potential for practical applications. The synergistic effects of direct hydrothermal attachment, surface modification, and improved OER performance make this study a significant contribution to the advancement of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications.

Unmasking Bacterial Identities: Exploiting Silver Nanoparticle 'Masks' for Enhanced Raman Scattering in the Rapid Discrimination of Diverse Bacterial Species and Antibiotic-Resistant Strains.

Unraveling bacterial identity through Raman scattering techniques has been persistently challenging due to homogeneously amplified Raman signals across a wide variety of bacterial molecules, predominantly protein- or nucleic acid-mediated. In this study, we present an approach involving the use of silver nanoparticles to completely and uniformly "mask" adsorption on the surface of bacterial molecules through sodium borohydride and sodium chloride. This approach enables the acquisition of enhanced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals from all components on the bacterial surface, facilitating rapid, specific, and label-free bacterial identification. For the first time, we have characterized the identity of a bacterium, including its DNA, metabolites, and cell walls, enabling the accurate differentiation of various bacterial strains, even within the same species. In addition, we embarked on an exploration of the origin and variability patterns of the main characteristic peaks of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Significantly, the SERS peak ratio was found to determine the inflection point of accelerated bacterial death upon treatment with antimicrobials. We further applied this platform to identify 15 unique clinical antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, including five Escherichia coli strains in human urine, a first for Raman technology. This work has profound implications for prompt and accurate identification of bacteria, particularly antibiotic-resistant strains, thereby significantly enhancing clinical diagnostics and antimicrobial treatment strategies.

A Remarkable Pt Doped CNT Catalyst as a Double Functional Material: Its Application for Hydrogen Production and Supercapacitor

In this study, by producing bifunctional material, hydrolysis, and supercapacitor applications were investigated. The carbon nanotube-supported Pt catalyst was prepared using the sodium borohydride (NaBH<sub>4</sub>) reduction. Surface characterization of the synthesized Pt/CNT catalyst was performed using scanning electron microscopy-energy dıstrıbutıon X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Hydrolysis experiments were performed after deciding on the appropriate atomic ratio from the Pt/CNT catalysts synthesized in different nuclear ratios. The parameters affecting the hydrogen production from NaBH<sub>4</sub> were examined. As a result of the kinetic calculations, the initial rates of reaction for 30°C and 60°C were calculated as 21949,69 mlH<sub>2</sub>g<sub>cat</sub>min<sup>-1</sup> and 70018,18 mlH<sub>2</sub>g<sub>cat</sub>min<sup>-1</sup>. Galvastonic charge-discharge (GCD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used as characterization techniques for the use of Pt/CNT catalysts as electrodes in supercapacitor applications. The specific capacitance value of 7% Pt/CNT catalyst at 1 A/g current density was calculated as 57,78 F/g. Energy and power density were calculated as 8,025 Wh/kg and 963 W/kg, respectively. Therefore, this catalyst is called a “cap-cat” with capacitor properties. The catalyst used in this study is promising for this recently studied topic.

Multifunctional Antimonene-Silver Nanocomposites for Ultra-Multi-Mode and Multi-Analyte Sensing, Parallel and Batch Logic Computing, Long-Text Information Protection.

To simulate life's emergent functions, mining the multiple sensing capabilities of nanosystems, and digitizing networks of transduction signals and molecular interactions, is an ongoing endeavor. Here, multifunctional antimonene-silver nanocomposites (AM-Ag NCs) are synthesized facilely and fused for molecular sensing and digitization applications (including ultra-multi-mode and multi-analyte sensing, parallel and batch logic computing, long-text information protection). By mixing surfactant, AM, Ag+ and Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) at room temperature for 5min, the resulting NCs are comprised of Ag nanoparticles scattered within AM nanosheets and protected by the surfactant. Interestingly, AM-Ag NCs exhibit ultra-multi-mode sensing ability for multiplex metal ions (Hg2+, Fe3+, or Al3+), which significantly improved selectivity (≈2 times) and sensitivity (≈400 times) when analyzing the combined channels. Moreover, multiple sensing capabilities of AM-Ag NCs enable diverse batch and parallel molecular logic computations (including advanced cascaded logic circuits). Ultra-multi-mode selective patterns of AM-Ag NCs to 18 kinds of metal ions can be converted into a series of binary strings by setting the thresholds, and realized high-density, long-text information protection for the first time. This study provides new ideas and paradigms for the preparation and multi-purpose application of 2D nanocomposites, but also offers new directions for the fusion of molecular sensing and informatization.

Improved hydrogen generation via NaBH4 hydrolysis: Synergistic role of sulfur and C4+-Doping unveils (440) high-index facets and modulates Co2+/Co3+ ratios in the Co3O4 lattice

Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is crucial for eco-friendly “green” hydrogen (H2) storage, employing controlled release through catalyzed NaBH4 hydrolysis, mitigating its inherent sluggish self-hydrolysis. Precious metal catalysts enhance this process, but face scarcity and cost issues hindering widespread use, prompting interest in Co3O4, specifically with (311) orientation for abundant Co2+ sites. However, excess Co2+ on dominant (311) facets limits catalytic efficacy. This study presents a nuanced synthesis of sulfur (S)- and carbon (C4+)-doped Co3O4 that expose high-index (440) facets and optimize Co2+/Co3+ distribution. The catalytic performance of CoSC-0.1-700 on (440) facets demonstrates remarkable hydrogen generation rate of 4.1 L g−1. min−1 within 10.5 min, 1.81×, 2.42×, and 3.83× higher than control samples, and undoped Co3O4 with (311) dominance, and 1.24× higher than (220). An estimated activation energy (Ea) of 33.63 kJ mol−1, comparable to noble metals, indicates high performance and stability over ten (10) cycles. This approach promises sustainable future in "green" H2 production.

Starch Sodium Octenylsuccinate as a New Type of Stabilizer in the Synthesis of Catalytically Active Gold Nanostructures.

Here, starch derivatives, i.e., sodium starch octenylsuccinate (OSA starch, hereinafter referred to as OSA), were employed as both reducing and stabilizing agents for the unique, inexpensive, and simple synthesis of gold nanoparticles (OSA-AuNPs) in an aqueous solution with gold salt. The obtained OSA-AuNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the obtained gold colloids was studied in the reduction of organic dyes, including methylene blue (C.I. Basic Blue 9) and rhodamine B (C.I. Basic Violet 10), and food coloring, including tartrazine (E102) and azorubine (E122), by sodium borohydride. Moreover, OSA-AuNPs were utilized as signal amplifiers in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The obtained results confirmed that gold nanoparticles can be used as effective catalysts in reduction reactions of selected organic dyes, as well as signal enhancers in the SERS technique.

Comprehensive investigation on sodium hypochlorite as oxidant in half cell and direct sodium borohydride fuel cell (DSBFC) for low-cost electrical power generation

Comprehensive investigation on sodium hypochlorite as oxidant in half cell and direct sodium borohydride fuel cell (DSBFC) for low-cost electrical power generation

N-Alkyl-1,2,4-triazole–Borane Complexes as High-Density Hypergolic Materials

AbstractHydrazine and its derivatives have served as a conventional bipropellant fuel for several decades. However, their extremely acute toxicity and carcinogenicity, high volatility, and environmental impact have attracted significant attention. In order to synthesize green bipropellant fuels with high density, high specific impulse, and good thermal stability, three novel N-alkyl-1,2,4-triazole–borane complexes were successfully synthesized by reacting alkylated 1,2,4-triazole coordinated with sodium borohydride in the presence of ammonium sulfate. During the droplet test with white fuming nitric acid, there was a relatively short ignition delay time of 98 ms. Additionally, these hypergolic fuels possessed a high density exceeding 1.10 g cm–3, and the specific impulse is ranging from 187 to 199 s, and the highest decomposition temperature reaches 153.4 °C. These results demonstrate their great potential as hypergolic fuels or hypergolic ionic liquid additives in the field of hypergolic materials.

Extracellular synthesis of heteroatom doped copper oxide nanoparticles from electronic waste – Transforming waste to resource for the remediation of nitrophenol contaminated water

Industrial effluents containing hazardous phenolic compounds such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) can threaten aquatic ecosystems and the environment. To address the environmental issues due to nitrophenol-contaminated industrial effluents and rapidly generating electronic waste (e-waste), catalytic nanoparticles are biosynthesized utilizing the waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) and the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of the bacteria Alcaligenes aquatilis for the catalytic reduction of 4-NP with sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The optimum synthesis parameters to maximize 4-NP reduction were an initial pH of 12.4 and a volume ratio of metal leachate to CFS of 1:3. These nanoparticles were found to be heteroatom-doped CuO/Cu2O (Bio-CuO/Cu2O-PCB) with spherical shape, average crystallite size of 19 nm and average particle size of 19.2 nm. The biosynthesized nanoparticles exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-NP with a pseudo-first-order rate constant (kapp) of 0.526 min-1, induction period of 2 min, and 90% reduction of 4-NP in 6 min. This work demonstrates the recovery of metal resources from waste as nanoparticles with excellent catalytic activity using a green, eco-friendly synthesis method under ambient conditions. Bio-CuO/Cu2O-PCB showed better activity than commercial CuO, biosynthesized and chemically synthesized CuO using precursor salt. The developed synthesis method is eco-friendly and could yield a recyclable catalyst for reducing harmful aromatic pollutants such as 4-NP present in wastewater to 4-aminophenol, a pharmaceutical intermediate.

Effect of a novel metal-free green synthesis catalyst on the positive role of microwave irradiation in hydrogen production from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

This study demonstrates the synthesis of hydrochar, a high-value material, from watermelon seed husk, a low-value waste material, using the hydrothermal synthesis method. The microwave power effect plays an important role in the use of metal-free and environmentally friendly catalysts for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. The XRD, BET, SEM, and FTIR analyses characterized the catalyst. X-ray diffraction revealed the catalyst structure to be cellulosic. The surface area and total pore volume were 1.063 m2/g and 0.0195 cm3/g, respectively, in BET analysis. According to the IUPAC classification, the catalyst conformed to the type III isotherm. This study investigated how good the catalyst for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride was when it was exposed to microwave irradiation at different microwave powers, solution temperatures, and catalyst amounts. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood and nth-order kinetic models calculated the activation energies to be 82.192 and 83.35 kJ/mol, respectively. The use of bio-waste hydrochar as a catalyst in the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride in the microwave environment shows promising results in the search for metal-free catalysts.

Biosurfactant assisted synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles: In vitro investigation of their anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective and wound healing potential

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) hadshowen immense potential for managing inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and severe microbial infections leading to chronic wounds by reducing environmental impact and resistance. Plant-mediated synthesis offers eco-friendly solutions, especially in degrading harmful textile dyes, benefiting ecosystems. Still, frequent aggregation and destabilization are the major limitations of metallic nanoparticles. Mannosylerythritol (MST), a lipid derived from microorganisms stabilises metallic nanoparticles. AgNPs were prepared by a chemical reduction method, characterized for optical, surface properties, and elemental analysis, and evaluated for ionic silver release, antioxidant effect, inhibition of ROS generation and NF-kB upregulation, anti-infective and wound closure potentials. The AgNPs comprised of 0.04% w/v AgNO3, 0.3% w/v sodium borohydride and 0.5% w/v MST exhibited nanosized (50–80 nm) orbicular particles with high purity and stability. EDX analysis portrayed the presence of 92.82% Ag by weight. Unlike acidified AgNPs, plane AgNPS showed consistent Ag+ release for 24 h, owing to which this group showed tremendous utility in scavenging DPPH-induced free radicals (20-fold lesser IC50 value) with a slight decrease in RAW 264.7 cell viability when tested by MTT assay. The MIC of AgNPs against C. albicans, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa was 10, 10 and 5 ppm, respectively. The microbial GI of AgNPs was found to be 62.44 ppm against C. albicans, 110.69 against S. aureus and 91.58 against P. aeruginosa. Flowcytometry showed a reduction in ROS generation, and NF-κβ upregulation justifies the safer use of AgNPs against oxidative stress and inflammatory conditions. The in vitro scratch test in RAW 264.7 cells justifies the rapid wound closure claim. Controlling a wide range of pathogens while mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation is the optimal strategy for expediting wound healing. Consequently, these AgNPs hold significant promise as innovative wound dressing materials for the future.

Liquid phase synthesis of AgNWs composites modified with Ag2O nanoparticles

Silver nanowire transparent electrodes (TCEs) are promising candidates for various applications. This is because of their excellent optoelectronic properties and thermal conductivity. However, the mechanical characteristics of silver nanowires (AgNWs) are not very prominent. In recent years, metal oxide surface modifications have been used to enhance the properties of AgNWs. Meanwhile, most of them have aimed at improving the macroscopic parameters, making little mention of theoretical guidance concerning the modification mechanism and bonding mode. To address this issue, composites of Ag2O nanoparticles grown on the surface of PVP@AgNWs were prepared in the present work through a straightforward liquid-phase synthesis approach, while guaranteeing the initial dispersion. The mechanism of the sodium borohydride (NaBH4) modifier on the surface of PVP@AgNWs and the growth mode between Ag2O and the PVP@AgNWs surface were analyzed using XPS, TEM, and other characterization techniques. This supports the subsequent introduction of metal oxide nanoparticles to modify AgNWs.

Co–B supported on waxberry-like hierarchical porous carbon microspheres: An efficient catalyst for hydrogen generation via sodium borohydride hydrolysis

Rapid release of hydrogen at ambient condition is highly favorable and is necessary for fuel cell power generation on-demand. Hydrolysis of hydrides offers such advantage with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a representative exemplar. Despite with exceptionally high hydrogen content, the hydrolysis kinetics of NaBH4 is sluggish in the absence of catalyst. Co–B alloy has generally been employed as effective catalyst in the hydrolysis of borohydrides. However, Co–B particles are prone to agglomeration during the reaction, reducing the activity and durability of the catalyst. In this work, waxberry-like hierarchical porous carbon microspheres (HPCMs) were successfully prepared and were used as carriers to support Co–B particles to form the Co–B/HPCMs catalyst. The effects of HPCMs with different nitrogen contents in Co–B/HPCMs on the catalytic dehydrogenation rate of NaBH4 hydrolysis were systematically investigated. The experimental results showed that Co–B/HPCM-2 exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of NaBH4 at 298 K, with a low activation energy of 43.3 kJ ·mol−1 and a high hydrogen generation rate of 3083.1 mlH2·min−1·g−1. Moreover, after five consecutive cycles, its catalytic activity maintained at 91.7 % of the initial catalytic activity, displaying satisfactory cycling performance. The findings obtained from this study are expected to expand a novel path for the development of efficient Co-based catalysts in heterogeneous catalytic reactions.

Modification of TiO2 with sodium borohydride and its influence on photovoltaic cell performance

Modification of TiO2 with sodium borohydride and its influence on photovoltaic cell performance