The hydrolysis of ammonia borane catalyzed by NiCoP/OPC-300 nanocatalysts: high selectivity and efficiency, and mechanism

Abstract

The development of highly efficient and cheap catalysts for the release of hydrogen from chemical hydrogen-storage materials is indispensable for the coming clean energy economy. ZIF-67 is transferred into oxygen-doped porous carbon (OPC-300) using two-step heat treatment for the first time. The OPC-300 nanomaterial appears much more effective than other supports, including ZIF-67, graphene oxide and MOF-74, for Ni_0.66Co_0.19P_0.15 nanoparticles. NiCoP/OPC-300 nanocatalysts, obtained for the first time, have been successfully synthesized via a facile one-step chemical reduction method. Owing to highly effective quadruple synergy between Ni, Co, P and OPC-300, the prepared noble-metal-free Ni_0.66Co_0.19P_0.15/OPC-300 nanocatalyst exhibits superior catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane, with a TOF value of up to 95.24 mol_H2 mol_cat⁻¹ min⁻¹ in NaOH (0.4 M) solution at 298 K.