Synergistic effect of RuNi alloy supported by carbon nanohorns for boosted hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis

The present study addresses the critical challenges associated with hydrogen production from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis, focusing on the development of cost-effective, high efficient, and stable catalysts. A promising strategy to achieve superior catalytic performance in AB hydrolysis involves alloying noble and non-precious metals. Herein, RuNi bimetallic nanoparticles were successfully deposited onto carbon nanohorns (CNHs) through a facial hydrothermal-reduction processes. The optimized Ru 0.6 Ni 0.4 -CNHs catalyst demonstrates a remarkably high turnover frequency (TOF) of 144  m o l H 2  mol Ru −1  min −1 , approximately twice that of Ru-CNHs. The synergistic effect between CNHs and the RuNi alloy enhances the anchoring and dispersion of metal particles, leading to reduced particle size and a narrow distribution, along with exceptional stability. Experimental results reveal that the incorporation of the RuNi alloy enables precise regulation of the electron distribution in Ru. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the RuNi alloy significantly reduces the activation and dissociation energies of AB and H 2 O on the Ru site of Ru 0.6 Ni 0.4 compared to those on a monometallic Ru site. This work provides valuable insights for designing efficient and economical bimetallic nanocatalysts for AB hydrolysis.