A Ni2P nanosheet array integrated on 3D Ni foam: an efficient, robust and reusable monolithic catalyst for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane toward on-demand hydrogen generation

Abstract

Ammonia borane (AB) has been considered as one of the most attractive candidates for chemical hydrogen-storage materials; it is highly desirable but still remains a huge challenge to design and develop highly active robust non-noble-metal catalysts for on-demand hydrogen generation from AB. In this work, we demonstrate that a Ni₂P nanosheet array integrated on 3D Ni foam is highly active and robust for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of AB. This monolithic catalyst behaves as an on/off switch for on-demand hydrogen generation with a large initial turnover frequency of 42.3 mol_(H2) mol_(Ni2P)⁻¹  min⁻¹ and a lower activation energy of 44.0 kJ mol⁻¹ under ambient conditions, outperforming all reported Ni-based noble-metal-free catalysts and some noble-metal catalysts.