Synergistic interaction between NiPt nanoparticles and phosphorus-doped graphene support boosts hydrogen generation from hydrazine borane

Abstract

Hydrazine borane (HB) has been considered to be an excellent medium for hydrogen storage, but the development of efficient catalysts for controllable and complete hydrolytic dehydrogenation of HB remains a severe challenge. In this study, a novel catalyst consisting of Ni_0.6Pt_0.4 nanoparticles supported on phosphorus-doped reduced graphene oxide (P-rGO) is readily obtained via a simple co-reduction method and serves as a highly efficient and stable catalyst toward the complete hydrolytic dehydrogenation of HB. Compared with Ni_0.6Pt_0.4/rGO, the as-prepared Ni_0.6Pt_0.4/P-rGO catalyst exhibits much higher catalytic activity for HB dehydrogenation, providing a total turnover frequency (TOF) value of 2419.4 h⁻¹ at 323 K, which surpasses that of the majority of reported catalysts. Meanwhile, it also exhibits lower activation energy (E_a) and better recycle stability. The reason for the outstanding catalytic performance of Ni_0.6Pt_0.4/P-rGO could be attributed to the combined influence of small particle sizes, the enhanced synergistic effects of NiPt nanoparticles and the P-rGO substrate, the electronic interaction between Ni and Pt, and the NaOH promotion effect. This work provides an innovative approach to construct highly efficient and robust catalyst systems using simple and controllable methods.