Ultrasmall Ru nanoparticles supported on chitin nanofibers for hydrogen production from NaBH4 hydrolysis

In this work, a series of chitin-supported Ru catalysts, composed of ultrasmall Ru nanoparticles supported on the chitin nanofibers, with different Ru content from 0.07 wt% to 0.93 wt%, are fabricated. Results from catalyzed NaBH4 hydrolysis experiments indicate that the catalytic activity of the fabricated chitin-supported Ru catalysts increases gradually with the decreasing of Ru content. The rate of hydrogen generation from NaBH4 hydrolysis catalyzed by the catalyst with 0.07 wt% Ru content is as high as 55.29 L min(-1).g(Ru)(-1 )at 30 degrees C, and this reaction exhibits activation energy of 39.16 kJ/mol. The augment of NaBH4 dosage in the experiments does not weaken the catalytic activity. In addition, the fabricated chitin-supported Ru catalysts show excellent durability in NaBH4 hydrolysis, with only 9.2% activity loss after used for 20 cycles. With excellent catalytic activity and durability, the as-obtained Ru catalysts provide a promising choice for promoting hydrogen production from NaBH4 hydrolysis. (C) 2020 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.