KCC-1 Supported CuCo Bimetal Catalysts for Promoting Hydrogen Production from Ammonia Borane Hydrolysis

Dendritic fibrous KCC-1 supported CuCo bimetal catalysts (CuCo/KCC-1) are fabricated by coprecipitating Cu 2+ and Co 2+ on the surface of KCC-1 nanospheres. The microstructure and composition of the fabricated CuCo/KCC-1 bimetal catalysts are analyzed with ICP-OES, SEM, TEM, and XPS. The CuCo/KCC-1 catalysts demonstrate excellent performance in catalyzing ammonia borane hydrolysis to produce hydrogen in alkaline solutions. As an example, the hydrolysis of ammonia borane catalyzed by Cu 3 Co 1 /KCC-1 (with a Cu/Co molar ratio about 3:1) gives a hydrogen generation rate of 5.43 L/(min g metal ), and an activation energy of 23.96 kJ/mol. The synergic effect between Cu and Co in the CuCo/KCC-1 catalysts maintains the excellent catalytic activity while reducing the usage of Co, making it possible to decrease the cost of the catalyst. Graphical Abstract