Highly efficient ferromagnetic CoBO catalyst for hydrogen generation

Low cost and effective transition metal based catalysts are critical to the development of hydrogen generation techniques. In this paper, a multifunctional nanosized Co B O material has been developed that can act as highly active catalyst for both hydrolytic and electrolytic hydrogen production , affording a hydrogen generation rate of 7.45 L min −1  g −1 for hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ), and 10 mA cm −2 water-splitting current at overpotentials of 270 mV and 305 mV for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH. Meanwhile, oxygen doping is found to be critical to the activity of Co B O catalyst. This work will benefit the rational design of metal boride based material as highly active hydrolysis and electrolysis catalyst for hydrogen generation.