Solvent-free synthesis of Rh/meso-Al2O3 via mechanochemistry for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

An effective strategy synthesis of Rh/meso-Al2O3 catalysts was demonstrated by mechanochemistry for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB). These catalysts are characterized systematically by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the turnover frequency (TOF) and activation energy (Ea) are 246.8 molH2 center dot molRh-1 center dot min-1 and 47.9 kJ mol-1 for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of at 298 K catalyzed by Rh/Al2O3-CTAB-400, obviously higher than those previously reported catalysts. Furthermore, catalyst Rh/Al2O3-CTAB-400 can be recycled by simple centrifugal separation and the catalytic activity is still well maintained after five cycles. In addition, a plausible mechanism for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of AB has also been proposed. This mechanochemical synthesis method exhibits great application prospects for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts.

Automated summary

An effective strategy synthesis of Rh/meso-Al2O3 catalysts for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane has been demonstrated. The catalysts exhibit high turnover frequency and can be easily recycled, making them promising for practical applications.