Co-vacancy rich Co3O4 catalyst enables efficient hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Development of efficient and economical non-precious metal catalysts for dehydrogenation of ammonia borane is an important way to store and release hydrogen. Vacancy-engineered defective catalysts with modulated elec-tronic structure allow ideal adsorption and dissociation of reactant molecules for the optimized catalytic activity. In this study, we report a facile synthesis of cobalt-defective Co3O4 (VCo-Co3O4) nanocatalyst by the calcination of layered cobalt glycerate as a key precursor. The stacked cobalt-oxygen sheets and interlayer bound glycerate anions in a layered structure are favorable for introducing cation vacancy during calcination process. The ob-tained Vco-Co3O4 exhibits outstanding catalytic activity for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane, along with a high hydrogen production rate of 934 mL min-1 gCat-1 and a low activation energy of 32.65 kJ mol-1. The catalytic performance of the VCo-Co3O4 catalyst can be well maintained for consecutive five cycles. The current study establishes a new example of cation vacancy strategy to facilitate the hydrolysis of ammonia borane for hydrogen generation.

Automated summary

In this study, a cobalt-defective Co3O4 catalyst was synthesized and showed outstanding catalytic activity for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane, along with high hydrogen production rate and low activation energy. The catalyst's performance was well maintained for consecutive cycles.