Electroless Nickel-Based Catalyst for Diffusion Limited Hydrogen Generation through Hydrolysis of Borohydride

Crystals

Shannon P. Anderson¹ 

[1] Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA; E-Mail

关键词: hydrogen generation;    borohydride;    nickel;    catalyst;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cryst3030405

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Catalysts based on electroless nickel and bi-metallic nickel-molybdenum nanoparticles were synthesized for the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride for hydrogen generation. The catalysts were synthesized by polymer-stabilized Pd nanoparticle-catalyzation and activation of Al₂O₃ substrate and electroless Ni or Ni-Mo plating of the substrate for selected time lengths. Catalytic activity of the synthesized catalysts was tested for the hydrolyzation of alkaline-stabilized NaBH₄ solution for hydrogen generation. The effects of electroless plating time lengths, temperature and NaBH₄ concentration on hydrogen generation rates were analyzed and discussed. Compositional analysis and surface morphology were carried out for nano-metallized Al₂O₃ using Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis (EDAX). The as-plated polymer-stabilized electroless nickel catalyst plated for 10 min and unstirred in the hydrolysis reaction exhibited appreciable catalytic activity for hydrolysis of NaBH₄. For a zero-order reaction assumption, activation energy of hydrogen generation using the catalyst was estimated at 104.6 kJ/mol. Suggestions are provided for further work needed prior to using the catalyst for portable hydrogen generation from aqueous alkaline-stabilized NaBH₄ solution for fuel cells.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.