Polydopamine-coated halloysite nanotubes supported AgPd nanoalloy: An efficient catalyst for hydrolysis of ammonia borane

AgPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) supported on halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) coated poly-dopamine (PDA) successfully synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal route. XRD, TEM and XPS were employed to verify the alloy structure of the obtained AgPd NPs. The HAADF-STEM result revealed that the thickness of PDA coating was similar to 10 nm, which could be formed on the surface of HNTs, and the existence of PDA was beneficial to deposit AgPd alloys with high dispersibility on the surface of HNTs. AgPd/PDA-HNT nanocomposites were effective catalysts for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane at room temperature, and the reaction was completed within 160 s using Ag3Pd2/PDA-HNT as catalysts, with a high total turnover frequency (TOF) value of 90 mol(H2) mol(catalyst)(-1) min(-1) and a low apparent activation energy (Ea) of 22.7 kJ mol(-1). After the sixth cycle, Ag3Pd2/PDA-HNT catalyst retained 72% of its initial activity and 100% conversion. The excellent catalytic properties, good durability and reusability, enabled Ag3Pd2/PDA-HNT to be an ideal catalyst in the practical applications. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.