Poly(n-Vinyl Palladium-Platinum Nanoparticles-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane for Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

The catalytic use of highly efficient poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-stabilized palladium platinum nanoparticles (4.2 +/- 1.9 nm) in the hydrolysis of ammonia-borane is reported. The catalyst is prepared by co-reduction of two metal ions in ethanol/water mixture by an alcohol reduction method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy,.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. They are recyclable and highly active for hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia-borane even at very low concentrations and temperature, providing a record numbers of average turnover frequency value (125 mol H-2/mol cat.min(-1)) and maximum hydrogen generation rate (3468 L H-2 min(-1) (mol cat)(-1)). They also provide activation energy of 51.7 +/- 2 kJ/mol for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.