The preparation and performance of a novel spherical spider web-like structure RuNi / Ni foam catalyst for NaBH4 methanolysis

In this work, a spherical spider web-like structure Ru Ni/Ni foam catalyst was prepared for hydrogen evaluation from sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ) by a combination of electroless plating and electroplating. Microstructure, surface morphology , surface area and elemental composition of the Ru Ni/Ni foam catalyst were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauere-Emmette-Teller method (BET, AS-1C-VP), respectively. The influences of Ru Ni with different molar ratios , NaOH concentration, NaBH 4 concentration, and solution temperature on the hydrogen production rate were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the Ru Ni metals were arrayed densely and uniformly on the surface of Ni foam. The average hydrogen production rate is 360 mL min −1  g −1 in 20 wt % of NaBH 4 , 1 wt% of NaOH at 30 °C in the presence of the Ru Ni/Ni foam catalysts. The calculated activation energy was 39.96 kJ mol −1 for hydrogen production from sodium borohydride using the Ru Ni/Ni foam catalyst.