Hydrogen generation from decomposition of hydrous hydrazine over Ni-Ir/CeO2 catalyst

The synthesis of highly active and selective catalysts is the central issue in the development of hydrous hydrazine (N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O) as a viable hydrogen carrier. Herein, we report the synthesis of bimetallic Ni-Ir nanocatalyts supported on CeO 2 using a one-pot coprecipitation method. A combination of XRD, HRTEM and XPS analyses indicate that the Ni-Ir/CeO 2 catalyst is composed of tiny Ni-Ir alloy nanoparticles with an average size of around 4   nm and crystalline CeO 2 matrix. The Ni-Ir/CeO 2 catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and excellent selectivity towards hydrogen generation from N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O at mild temperatures. Furthermore, in contrast to previously reported Ni-Pt catalysts, the Ni-Ir/CeO 2 catalyst shows an alleviated requirement on alkali promoter to achieve its optimal catalytic performance.