About the Technological Readiness of the H2 Generation by Hydrolysis of B(−N)−H Compounds. Issue 3 (15th January 2018) - Demirci, Umit B.
Abstract: At the beginning of the new millennium, hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4 ) was presented as a promising on‐board technology to generate H2 for light‐duty vehicles. Years later, other B(−N)−H compounds (e.g., lithium borohydride (LiBH4 ) and ammonia borane (NH3 BH3 )) emerged as attractive alternatives whereas NaBH4 was struggling with several issues jeopardizing its implementation. Actually, efforts in the research and development of H2 generation by hydrolysis of B(−N)−H compounds have been intensive since the advent of NaBH4 almost 20 years ago. There may be a question with respect to this: What is the technological readiness of the promising hydrolytic B(−N)−H compounds? This Review aims at providing relevant elements in response to this question. In the first part, the most mature B(−N)−H compounds are discussed at length. In the second part, a survey of all other candidates is proposed. It is concluded that NaBH4 is the best hydrolytic B(−N)−H compound for marketing on a broad scale, but there are still key challenges to address. Abstract : Boron‐based H2 carriers : Since the early 2000s, hydrolytic B(−N)−H compounds have been under investigation as promising H2 carriers. Sodium borohydride NaBH4 and ammonia borane NH3 BH3 are the "oldest" ones and have been widely investigated. In parallel, "new" candidates such as hydrazine borane (N2 H4 BH3 ) have emerged. Hence, one may wonder what the technological readiness of these hydrogen carriers is. This is discussed herein.