Nanosized Co- and Ni-Catalyzed Ammonia Borane for Hydrogen Storage

A co-precipitation method was applied to introduce nanosized Co- and Ni-based catalysts to ammonia borane. It was observed that approximately 1 equiv. of hydrogen was evolved from the doped ammonia borane samples at a temperature as low as 59 degrees C. Moreover, the catalytic dehydrogenation did not present any induction period, undesirable byproduct borazine, or sample forming. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterization revealed that Co in a partially reduced state is the active species in the catalytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane.