A NiCo/NiO–CoO x ultrathin layered catalyst with strong basic sites for high-performance H 2 generation from hydrous hydrazine

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2016, Vol.4 (17), p.6595-6602
• Main Authors: Wu, Dandan, Wen, Ming, Lin, Xijian, Wu, Qingsheng, Gu, Chen, Chen, Hanxing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/C6TA01092J

The exploration of non-noble-metal recyclable catalysts for high efficiency H 2 generation from N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O is of great significance for the sustainable strategy of society. A NiCo/NiO–CoO x ultrathin layered catalyst was fabricated successfully via a dynamics controlling coprecipitation–reduction (DCCR) process followed by calcination and applied to H 2 generation from N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O. Small nanosized NiCo particles (∼4 nm) were uniformly anchored on the surface of the NiO–CoO x ultrathin layered supports. Based on the cooperation between the NiCo active-centers and high intensity base-sites of the NiO–CoO x support, the Ni 70 Co 30 /NiO–CoO x ultrathin layered nanocomposite exhibits over 99% selectivity for H 2 generation from N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O with a high reaction rate (mol N2H4 mol NiCo −1 h −1 ) of 5.49 h −1 without using alkali as a catalyst promoter at 25 °C, which is superior to the reported studies. Moreover, the NiCo nanoalloys loading on the NiO–CoO x sheets enables an outstanding recycle performance over 10 cycles. The non-noble-metal NiCo/NiO–CoO x layered nanocomposite shows great value in catalyzing H 2 generation from N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O in practical applications.