Transitional Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts for Hydrogen Release From Hydride Compounds

Material based hydrogen sources are appealing due to their high hydrogen density and clean energy nature. For example, sodium borohydride and ammonia borane are well-known hydrides as hydrogen storage materials. Low cost, high efficient catalysts are critical in releasing hydrogen from these hydrogen storage materials. In this study, we have synthesized hollow nanoparticles from low cost transitional metals and they are tested as catalyst materials for the hydrogen release catalytic reaction. From the results, the cost-effective catalyst can achieve much higher catalytic activity than their solid counterparts for sodium borohydride hydrolysis reaction. In addition, the hollow nanoparticles show comparable hydrogen generation rates to that from precious metal based catalysts for the reaction. A concept of a portable PEM fuel cell system is demonstrated from the low cost catalyst materials, which may provide a solution for long lasting off-grid power demand. The porous nanoparticles are also studied as catalysts for hydrogen generation reaction from ammonia borane, which is a promising alternative to sodium borohydride as hydrogen source