Enhanced H2 production from dehydrogenation of sodium borohydride over the ternary Co0.97Pt0.03/CeOx nanocomposite grown on CGO catalytic support

Abstract

The development of low-cost materials for the 100% dehydrogenation of metal hydrides is highly essential to vitalize the chemical hydride-based hydrogen economy. In this context, the ternary Co–Ce–Pt nanocomposite immobilized on functionalized catalytic support CGO is synthesized by the one step chemical reduction approach and has been directly employed for the ethanolysis of sodium borohydride. The co-operative effect of CGO and the synergy between metallic nanoparticles is investigated to determine the highest rate of hydrogen (H₂) production. The maximum hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 41.53 L (min g_M)⁻¹ is achieved with the Co_0.97Pt_0.03/CeO_x/CGO nanohybrid from the alkaline ethanolysis of sodium borohydride (SB). In addition, the resultant nanohybrid exhibited a relatively low activation energy of 21.42 kJ mol⁻¹ for the ethanolysis of SB. This enhanced catalytic activity may be attributed to the intermetallic charge transport among metallic Pt, Co/Co₃O₄, and CeO_x counterparts. Moreover, the catalytic support CGO provides mesoporous functionalized surface and its intercalated GO layers promote charge transport. These results indicate that the resultant catalytic system described here for the dehydrogenation of SB can offer a portable and low-cost H₂ supply for various fuel cell applications.