Synthesis of loofah sponge carbon supported bimetallic silver-cobalt nanoparticles with enhanced catalytic activity towards hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride hydrolysis

We demonstrate a functionalized carbonaceous material derived from the hydrothermal carbonization of natural loofah sponge can be served as an effective scaffold for anchoring bimetallic AgCo nanoparticles (NPs). The resulting loofah sponge carbon (LSC) supported AgCo NPs (LSC/AgCo) exhibits excellent performance for the catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH4 towards hydrogen generation. It is experimentally proved that the existed AgCo NPs mainly contribute to the catalytic activity, while the employed LSC support make them more effective in LSC/AgCo catalytic systems. The catalytic activities of the LSC/AgCo catalysts are also strongly dependent on the Ag/Co ratio, where LSC/Ag0.1Co0.9 is most active among all of the catalysts, and even more than five times that of monometallic LSC/Co, revealing that the Ag and Co compositions in LSC/AgCo catalysts show excellent synergy to catalyze NaBH4 hydrolysis for hydrogen generation. The present experimental study provides a promising pathway for the economical and sustainable implementation of biomass for the chemical hydrogen storage. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.