Highly efficient and recyclable Co/NiMoO4 catalyst for hydrogen production via sodium borohydride hydrolysis

Abstract

Sodium borohydride (NaBH4), a chemical storage material, is an efficient source for safe and effective hydrogen (H2) storage. In this paper, NiMoO4 nanorods-supported Co nanoparticles (Co/NiMoO4) were successfully synthesized using the impregnation-reduction method, and their characterization was carried out using advanced analytical tools such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N2-adsorption-desorption. In the hydrolysis of NaBH4, the Co/NiMoO4 catalyst achieved an H2 production rate (HGR) of 8572.97 mLgcat-1 min-1 and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 1544.40 molH2molCo-1 h-1. Moreover, the Co/NiMoO4 catalyst exhibited significant stability, retaining 84.98% of its initial HGR efficiency and achieving a 94.90% conversion of NaBH4 to H2 after 5 catalytic cycles.