A NiCo/NiO-CoOx ultrathin layered catalyst with strong basic sites for high-performance H-2 generation from hydrous hydrazine

The exploration of non-noble-metal recyclable catalysts for high efficiency H-2 generation from N2H4 center dot H2O is of great significance for the sustainable strategy of society. A NiCo/NiO-CoOx ultrathin layered catalyst was fabricated successfully via a dynamics controlling coprecipitation-reduction (DCCR) process followed by calcination and applied to H2 generation from N2H4 center dot H2O. Small nanosized NiCo particles (similar to 4 nm) were uniformly anchored on the surface of the NiO-CoOx ultrathin layered supports. Based on the cooperation between the NiCo active-centers and high intensity base-sites of the NiO-CoOx support, the Ni70Co30/NiO-CoOx ultrathin layered nanocomposite exhibits over 99% selectivity for H-2 generation from N2H4 center dot H2O with a high reaction rate (mol(N2H4) mol(NiCo)(-1) h(-1)) of 5.49 h(-1) without using alkali as a catalyst promoter at 25 degrees C, which is superior to the reported studies. Moreover, the NiCo nanoalloys loading on the NiO-CoOx sheets enables an outstanding recycle performance over 10 cycles. The non-noble-metal NiCo/NiO-CoOx layered nanocomposite shows great value in catalyzing H-2 generation from N2H4 center dot H2O in practical applications.