One-step synthesis of magnetically recyclable Au/Co/Fe triple-layered core-shell nanoparticles as highly efficient catalysts for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

Magnetically recyclable Au/Co/Fe core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully synthesized via a one-step in situ procedure. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS), and electron energy-loss spectroscopic (EELS) measurements revealed that the trimetallic Au/Co/Fe NPs have a triple-layered core-shell structure composed of a Au core, a Co-rich inter-layer, and a Fe-rich shell. The Au/Co/Fe core-shell NPs exhibit much higher catalytic activities for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (NH(3)BH(3), AB) than the monometallic (Au, Co, Fe) or bimetallic (AuCo, AuFe, CoFe) counterparts.