Preparation of Ni0.6Cu0.4O/NC catalyst and its catalytic performance for hydrogen production from hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) is an ideal feedstock with high hydrogen storage capacity. In this paper, nitrogen-containing carbon material (Ni0.6Cu0.4O/NC) catalyst was prepared by high-temperature carbonization of Ni/Cu-ZIF precursor under nitrogen atmosphere. The microstructure as well as the composition of the as-prepared catalyst were characterized. In addition, the catalytic performance of the catalyst were tested under reaction conditions. The results showed that the activation energy (Ea) for hydrolysis of AB over Ni0.6Cu0.4O/NC catalyst was 56.8 kJ/mol with TOF value as high as 1572.2 h−1. The hydrogen production could be approximated as a zero-order reaction with respect to the concentration of AB, and a one-order reaction with respect to the amount of catalyst. The catalyst still maintained good activity after ten cycles, indicating the good stability. © 2024 Science Press. All rights reserved.