The preparation and performance of a novel spherical spider web-like structure Ru-Ni / Ni foam catalyst for NaBH4 methanolysis

In this work, a spherical spider web-like structure Ru-Ni/Ni foam catalyst was prepared for hydrogen evaluation from sodium borohydride (NaBH4) by a combination of electroless plating and electroplating. Microstructure, surface morphology, surface area and elemental composition of the Ru-Ni/Ni foam catalyst were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauere-Emmette-Teller method (BET, AS-1C-VP), respectively. The influences of Ru-Ni with different molar ratios, NaOH concentration, NaBH4 concentration, and solution temperature on the hydrogen production rate were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the Ru-Ni metals were arrayed densely and uniformly on the surface of Ni foam. The average hydrogen production rate is 360 mL min(-1) g(-1) in 20 wt % of NaBH4, 1 wt % of NaOH at 30 degrees C in the presence of the Ru-Ni/Ni foam catalysts. The calculated activation energy was 39.96 kJ mol(-1) for hydrogen production from sodium borohydride using the Ru-Ni/Ni foam catalyst. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.