Catalytic decomposition of hydrous hydrazine over Ni-Pt/La2O3 catalyst: A high-performance hydrogen storage system

Hydrous hydrazine (N2H4 center dot H2O) has attracted considerable interest as a potential hydrogen carrier for vehicular or portable applications. But currently, most of published experimental works focus on dilute N2H4 center dot H2O solution with a limited hydrogen capacity to 2 wt%, which is well below the practical requirements. Herein, we report the catalytic decomposition of concentrated N2H4 center dot H2O solution over a La2O3-supported Ni-Pt alloy catalyst. The Ni-Pt/La2O3 catalyst prepared by a one-pot co-precipitation method shows exceptionally high catalytic activity and 100% selectivity towards hydrogen generation from N2H4 center dot H2O at ambient temperatures. In particular, our study has demonstrated, for the first time, that the system composed of concentrated N2H4 center dot H2O solution, high-performance Ni-Pt/La2O3 catalyst and appropriate amount of alkali promoter can yield a material-based hydrogen capacity of 6 wt%. This finding is of clear significance for promoting the practical application of N2H4 center dot H2O as a viable hydrogen carrier. (c) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.