CuO-NiO/Co3O4 hybrid nanoplates as highly active catalyst for ammonia borane hydrolysis

Dehydrogenation of hydrogen-rich chemicals, such as ammonia borane (AB), is a promising way to produce hydrogen for mobile fuel cell power systems. However, the practical application has been impeded due to the high cost and scarcity of the catalysts. Herein, a low-cost and high-performing core-shell structured CuO-NiO/Co(3)O(4 )hybrid nanoplate catalytic material has been developed for the hydrolysis of AB. The obtained hybrid catalyst exhibits a high catalytic activity towards the hydrolysis of AB with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 79.1 mol(H2) mol cat(-1) min(-1). The apparent activation energy of AB hydrolysis on CuO-NiO/Co3O4 is calculated to be 23.7 kJ.mol(-1). The synergistic effect between CuO-NiO and Co3O4 plays an important role in the improvement of the catalytic performance. The development of this high-performing and low-cost CuO-NiO/Co3O4 hybrid catalytic material can make practical applications of AB hydrolysis at large-scale possible. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.