Pd-Doped Flower Like Magnetic Mnfe2o4 Spinel Ferrit Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Catalytic Performance in the Hydrazine-Borane Methanolysis

Abstract

MnFe2O4 nanoparticles, an important member of nanostructured transition metal oxides, also known as spinel ferrites, find wide use in many applications, especially medicine and catalysis, due to their fascinating properties. In this research article, MnFe2O4 and MnFe2O4 supported Pd-0 nanoparticles were primarily prepared by solvothermal and impregnation/reduction methods, respectively. After the structural and morphological examination of the MnFe2O4 decorated Pd-0 nanoparticles (Pd@MnFe2O4), their catalytic activity was tested in the release of hydrogen from the methanolysis of hydrazine-borane. The morphological characterizations of Pd@MnFe2O4 catalyst show that Pd-0 nanoparticles were successfully decorated (average particle size similar to 2.83 nm) on the flower-like MnFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles. The Pd@MnFe2O4 catalyst presented high catalytic performance in the H-2 production via the methanolysis of hydrazine-borane, and the turn-over frequency value at 298 K was 47.2 min(-1), which is the highest catalytic systems in the literature for this purpose. The Pd@MnFe2O4 catalyst displaying good activity in ten consecutive catalytic runs can be considered a good heterogeneous catalyst for the hydrogen production from the methanolysis of hydrazine-borane.