Synthesis of Ni–Ru Alloy Nanoparticles and Their High Catalytic Activity in Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

We report the synthesis and characterization of new Ni_xRu_1?x (x=0.56–0.74) alloy nanoparticles (NPs) and their catalytic activity for hydrogen release in the ammonia borane hydrolysis process. The alloy NPs were obtained by wet‐chemistry method using a rapid lithium triethylborohydride reduction of Ni²⁺ and Ru³⁺ precursors in oleylamine. The nature of each alloy sample was fully characterized by TEM, XRD, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We found that the as‐prepared Ni–Ru alloy NPs exhibited exceptional catalytic activity for the ammonia borane hydrolysis reaction for hydrogen release. All Ni–Ru alloy NPs, and in particular the Ni_0.74Ru_0.26 sample, outperform the activity of similar size monometallic Ni and Ru NPs, and even of Ni@Ru core‐shell NPs. The hydrolysis activation energy for the Ni_0.74Ru_0.26 alloy catalyst was measured to be approximately 37 kJ mol^?1. This value is considerably lower than the values measured for monometallic Ni (≈70 kJ mol^?1) and Ru NPs (≈49 kJ mol^?1), and for Ni@Ru (≈44 kJ mol^?1), and is also lower than the values of most noble‐metal‐containing bimetallic NPs reported in the literature. Thus, a remarkable improvement of catalytic activity of Ru in the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane was obtained by alloying Ru with a Ni, which is a relatively cheap metal.     

Hollow ruthenium nanoparticles with small dimensions derived from Ni@Ru core@shell structure: synthesis and enhanced catalytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

Hollow Ru nanoparticles with ~14 nm diameter and ~2 nm shell thickness are reported for the first time, by removal of Ni from the delicately designed Ni@Ru core@shell NPs. Such hollow Ru NPs exhibit enhanced catalytic activity in the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane with respect to solid ones.     

In Situ Facile Synthesis of Ru‐Based Core–Shell Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Black and Their High Catalytic Activity in the Dehydrogenation of Amine‐Boranes

Well‐dispersed core–shell Ru@M (M=Co, Ni, Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) supported on carbon black have been synthesized via a facile in situ one‐step procedure under ambient condition. Core‐shell Ru@Co NPs were synthesized and characterized for the first time. The as‐synthesized Ru@Co and Ru@Ni NPs exhibit superior catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane compared with their monometallic and alloy counterparts. The Ru@Co/C NPs are the most reactive, with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 320 (mol min^?1) mol_Ru^?1 and activation energy (E_a) of 21.16 kJ mol^?1. Ru@Ni/C NPs are the next most active, whereas Ru@Fe/C NPs are almost inactive. Additionally, the as‐synthesized NPs supported on carbon black exhibit higher catalytic activity than catalysts on other conventional supports, such as SiO₂ and γ‐Al₂O₃.     

Bimetallic RuM (M=Co,Ni) Alloy NPs Supported on MIL-110(Al): Synergetic Catalysis in Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

By adjusting various Ru/M (M=Co, Ni) molar ratios, a series of highly dispersed bimetallic RuM alloy nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on MIL-110(Al) have been successfully prepared via a conventional impregnation-reduction method. And they are first used as heterogeneous catalysts for the dehydrogenation reaction of AB at room temperature. The results reveal that the as-prepared Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 exhibit the highest catalytic activities in different RuCo and RuNi molar ratios, respectively. It is worthy of note that the turnover frequency (TOF) values of Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 catalysts reached 488.1 and 417.1 mol H₂ min^-1 (mol Ru)^-1 and the activation energies (E_a) are 31.7 and 36.0 kJ/mol, respectively. The superior catalytic performance is attributed to the bimetallic synergistic action between Ru and M, uniform distribution of metal NPs as well as bi-functional effect between RuM alloy NPs and MIL-110. Moreover, these catalysts exhibit favorable stability after 5 consecutive cycles for the hydrolysis of AB.     

Ru/Ce(OH)CO3纳米复合材料催化氨硼烷水解产氢

采用一种简单的方法快速合成了Ru/Ce（OH）CO₃纳米复合材料。基于TG,XRD,TEM,EDX,XPS和ICP等方法详细表征了所制备的催化剂,并用于催化氨硼烷水解制氢。表征结果表明尺寸大约为4.8 nm的Ru纳米粒子高度分散在Ce（OH）CO₃纳米棒上。该催化剂对于氨硼烷水解制氢表现出优异的催化性能,在室温下其转化频率（TOF）达到389.6 mol_H2·mol_Ru^-1·min^-1。而且该催化剂循环使用11次之后依然能够对氨硼烷催化产氢保持很高的活性。     

Ru/Ce(OH)CO3纳米复合材料催化氨硼烷水解产氢

采用一种简单的方法快速合成了Ru/Ce（OH）CO₃纳米复合材料。基于TG,XRD,TEM,EDX,XPS和ICP等方法详细表征了所制备的催化剂,并用于催化氨硼烷水解制氢。表征结果表明尺寸大约为4.8 nm的Ru纳米粒子高度分散在Ce（OH）CO₃纳米棒上。该催化剂对于氨硼烷水解制氢表现出优异的催化性能,在室温下其转化频率（TOF）达到389.6 mol_H2·mol_Ru^-1·min^-1。而且该催化剂循环使用11次之后依然能够对氨硼烷催化产氢保持很高的活性。     

Ruthenium deposited on MCM-41 as efficient catalyst for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane and methylamine borane

Ultrafine Ru nanoparticles are successfully deposited on MCM-41 by using a simple liquid impregnationreduction method, and further investigated for catalytic hydrolysis of ammonia borane and methylamine borane. Among all the catalysts tested, 1.12 wt% Ru/MCM-41 exhibits the highest catalytic activity, with turnover frequency value of 288 min^-1.     

Bimetallic Au–Ni Nanoparticles Embedded in SiO2 Nanospheres: Synergetic Catalysis in Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

Gold–nickel nanoparticles (NPs) of 3–4 nm diameter embedded in silica nanospheres of around 15 nm have been prepared by using [Au(en)₂Cl₃] and [Ni(NH₃)₆Cl₂] as precursors in a NP‐5/cyclohexane reversed‐micelle system, and by in situ reduction in an aqueous solution of NaBH₄/NH₃BH₃. Compared with monometallic Au@SiO₂ and Ni@SiO₂, the as‐synthesized Au–Ni@SiO₂ catalyst shows higher catalytic activity and better durability in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane, generating a nearly stoichiometric amount of hydrogen. During the generation of H₂, the synergy effect between gold and nickel is apparent: The nickel species stabilizes the gold NPs and the existence of gold helps to improve the catalytic activity and durability of the nickel NPs.     

Nanostructured Ni2P as a Robust Catalyst for the Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia–Borane

Ammonia–borane (AB) is a promising chemical hydrogen‐storage material. However, the development of real‐time, efficient, controllable, and safe methods for hydrogen release under mild conditions is a challenge in the large‐scale use of hydrogen as a long‐term solution for future energy security. A new class of low‐cost catalytic system is presented that uses nanostructured Ni₂P as catalyst, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity and high sustainability toward hydrolysis of ammonia–borane with the initial turnover frequency of 40.4 mol_(H2) mol_(Ni2P)^?1 min^?1 under air atmosphere and at ambient temperature. This value is higher than those reported for noble‐metal‐free catalysts, and the obtained Arrhenius activation energy (E_a=44.6 kJ mol^?1) for the hydrolysis reaction is comparable to Ru‐based bimetallic catalysts. A clearly mechanistic analysis of the hydrolytic reaction of AB based on experimental results and a density functional theory calculation is presented.     

Pt/Ni双金属纳米溶胶的制备及催化制氢性能

采用化学共还原法制备了聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)稳定的Pt/Ni双金属纳米溶胶.采用紫外-可见光谱(UV-Vis)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)对所合成的Pt/Ni双金属纳米溶胶进行了表征, 并系统研究了PVP用量、还原剂用量和浓度、双金属比例对该双金属纳米溶胶催化剂催化性能的影响.结果表明, 所制备的双金属纳米溶胶的平均粒径在2.0 nm左右, Pt/Ni双金属纳米溶胶的催化活性比Pt及Ni单金属纳米溶胶的高, 当Pt/Ni摩尔比为1:4时, 纳米溶胶的催化活性最高, 其活性值为16640 mol_H2·mol_Pt^-1·h^-1.所制备的Pt/Ni双金属纳米溶胶催化剂具有很好的耐久性, 5次催化实验后该催化剂仍保持较高的催化活性.该双金属纳米溶胶催化NaBH₄水解反应的活化能为48 kJ/mol.     

A one-pot protocol for synthesis of non-noble metal-based core-shell nanoparticles under ambient conditions: toward highly active and cost-effective catalysts for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of NH3BH3

A one-pot synthesis of non-noble transition metal-based core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) has been developed under ambient conditions. The obtained Cu@M (M = Co, Fe, Ni) NPs exhibit superior catalytic activity for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of NH(3)BH(3), compared to the alloy and monometallic counterparts.     

ZIF-8 immobilized nickel nanoparticles: highly effective catalysts for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles have been successfully immobilized by the zeolitic metal-organic framework ZIF-8 via sequential deposition-reduction methods, which show high catalytic activity and long durability for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of aqueous ammonia borane (NH(3)BH(3)) at room temperature.     

CuxCo1−xO Nanoparticles on Graphene Oxide as A Synergistic Catalyst for High‐Efficiency Hydrolysis of Ammonia–Borane

Ammonia–borane (AB) is an excellent material for chemical storage of hydrogen. However, the practical utilization of AB for production of hydrogen is hindered by the need of expensive noble metal‐based catalysts. Here, we report Cu_xCo_1?xO nanoparticles (NPs) facilely deposited on graphene oxide (GO) as a low‐cost and high‐performance catalyst for the hydrolysis of AB. This hybrid catalyst exhibits an initial total turnover frequency (TOF) value of 70.0 (H₂) mol/(Cat‐metal) mol?min, which is the highest TOF ever reported for noble metal‐free catalysts, and a good stability keeping 94 % activity after 5 cycles. Synchrotron radiation‐based X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) investigations suggested that the high catalytic performance could be attributed to the interfacial interaction between Cu_xCo_1?xO NPs and GO. Moreover, the catalytic hydrolysis mechanism was studied by in situ XAS experiments for the first time, which reveal a significant water adsorption on the catalyst and clearly confirm the interaction between AB and the catalyst during hydrolysis.     

Synthesis of Size‐Controlled Ag@Co@Ni/Graphene Core–Shell Nanoparticles for the Catalytic Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane

Size‐controlled Ag_0.04@Co_0.48@Ni_0.48 core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by employing graphene (rGO) with different reduction degrees as supports. The number of C?O and C? O functional groups on the surface of rGO might play a major role in controlling the particle size. The strong steric‐hindrance effect of C?O resulted in the growth of large particles, whereas C? O contributed to the formation of small particles. The particle size of Ag_0.04@Co_0.48@Ni_0.48 NPs supported on rGO with different reduction degrees decreased as the number of C?O functional groups decreased. The decrease in the particle size probably led to the increase in the catalytic activity towards the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB). The enhanced catalytic activity largely stemmed from the increasing active sites on the surface of catalysts owing to the decreasing particle size.     

Skeletal Ni Catalysts Prepared from Amorphous Ni–Zr Alloys: Enhanced Catalytic Performance for Hydrogen Generation from Ammonia Borane

Skeletal Ni catalysts were prepared from Ni–Zr alloys, which possess different chemical composition and atomic arrangements, by a combination of thermal treatment and treatment with aqueous HF. Hydrogen generation from ammonia borane over the skeletal Ni catalysts proceeded efficiently, whereas the amorphous Ni–Zr alloy was inactive. Skeletal Ni prepared from amorphous Ni₃₀Zr₇₀ alloy had a higher catalytic activity than that prepared from amorphous Ni₄₀Zr₆₀ and Ni₅₀Zr₅₀ alloys. The atomic arrangement of the Ni–Zr alloy also strongly affected the surface structure and catalytic activities. Thermal treatment of the amorphous Ni–Zr alloys at a temperature slightly lower than the crystallization temperature led to an increase of the number of surface‐exposed Ni atoms and an enhancement of the catalytic activities for hydrogen generation from ammonia borane. The skeletal Ni catalysts also showed excellent durability and recyclability.     

Nanoporous PtRu Alloys with Unique Catalytic Activity toward Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

Nanoporous (NP) PtRu alloys with three different bimetallic components were straightforwardly fabricated by dealloying PtRuAl ternary alloys in hydrochloric acid. Selective etching of aluminum from source alloys generates bicontinuous network nanostructures with uniform size and structure. The as‐made NP‐PtRu alloys exhibit superior catalytic activity toward the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) than pure NP‐Pt and NP‐Ru owing to alloying platinum with ruthenium. The NP‐Pt₇₀Ru₃₀ alloy exhibits much higher specific activity toward hydrolytic dehydrogenation of AB than NP‐Pt₃₀Ru₇₀ and NP‐Pt₅₀Ru₅₀. The hydrolysis activation energy of NP‐Pt₇₀Ru₃₀ was estimated to be about 38.9 kJ mol^?1, which was lower than most of the reported activation energy values in the literature. In addition, recycling tests show that the NP‐Pt₇₀Ru₃₀ is still highly active in the hydrolysis of AB even after five runs, which indicates that NP‐PtRu alloy accompanied by the network nanoarchitecture is beneficial to improve structural stability toward the dehydrogenation of AB.     

Ni 1-x Pt x (x = 0-0.12) hollow spheres as catalysts for hydrogen generation from ammonia borane

In this paper, nest-like Ni1-xPtx (x = 0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12) hollow spheres of submicrometer sizes have been prepared through a template-replacement route and investigated as catalysts for generating hydrogen from ammonia borane (NH3BH3). Experimental investigations have demonstrated that the obtained Ni1-xPtx alloy hollow spheres exhibit favorable catalytic activities for both the hydrolysis and the thermolysis of NH3BH3. It was found that, in the presence of the Ni0.88Pt0.12 catalyst, the hydrolysis of NH3BH3 causes a quick release of H2, while the thermal decomposition of NH3BH3 occurs at lowered temperatures with increased mass loss. The present results indicate that NH3BH3 along with Ni1-xPtx alloy hollow spheres may find some applications for small-scale on-board hydrogen storage and supply.     

Mixed-phase PdRu bimetallic structures with high activity and stability for formic acid electrooxidation

Aiming at investigating the effect of structure on electrocatalytic properties, Pd(50)Ru(50) nanoparticles (NPs) with three different structures were carefully designed in a one-pot polyol process for application in formic acid electrooxidation. The three structures are: (1) single-phase PdRu nanodendrites (denoted as PR-1), (2) a mixed-phase mixture of PdRu nanodendrites and monometallic Ru NPs (denoted as PR-2), and (3) a mixed-phase mixture of monometallic Pd and Ru NPs (denoted as PR-3). From PR-1 to PR-3, the structure was varied from single-phase to mixed-phase. The relative position of Ru was altered from completely Pd-connected (PR-1), to a mixture of Pd-connected and monometallic (PR-2), and completely monometallic (PR-3). All PdRu NPs outperform the commercial Pd/C. PR-2 exhibits the highest peak current density, but its stability is slightly lower than that of PR-3. When both the current density and the durability are taken into consideration, PR-2 is the best choice of catalyst for formic acid oxidation. It indicates that both the Pd-connected Ru NPs and monometallic Ru NPs in the mixed-phase PR-2 are essential to improve the electrocatalytic properties. Our study also illustrates that the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) and hydrogen storage capacity of the as-prepared PdRu NPs are greatly enhanced after several hundred scans in formic acid, indicating the possibility for highly restorable catalysts in direct formic acid fuel cells.     

Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogel supported Co-CeOx nanoclusters as efficient catalysts for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Benefit from the strong synergistic electronic effect between Co and CeO_x, as well as the strong metalsupport interaction between Co-CeO_x and 3D NGH, the as-synthesized Co-(CeO_x)_0.91/NGH catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity toward hydrolysis of ammonia borane, with the turnover frequency (TOF) value of 79.5 min^-1.     

快速合成廉价CuMo纳米粒子高效催化氨硼烷水解产氢

Noble-metal-free CuMo nanoparticles (NPs) without surfactant or support have been facilely prepared using NaBH₄ as a reducing agent. The as-prepared CuMo nanocatalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, and used as catalysts for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB, NH₃BH₃) at room temperature. The as-synthesized Cu_0.9Mo_0.1 NPs exhibited a high activity towards the hydrolysis of AB with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 14.9 min^-1, a higher value than that reported for Cu catalysts. Our synthesis is not limited to CuMo NPs alone, but can easily be extended to CuW (3.6 min^-1), CuCr (2 min^-1), NiMo (55.6 min^-1), and CoMo (21.7 min^-1) NPs, providing a general approach to Cu-M (M = Mo, W, Cr) and TM-Mo (TM = Cu, Ni, Co) NPs as a series of novel catalysts for the hydrolysis of AB. The enhanced activity of bimetallic NPs may be attributed to the synergistic effects of the Cu-M NPs induced by the strain and ligand effects.