Amino-group and space-confinement assisted synthesis of small and well-defined Rh nanoparticles as efficient catalysts toward ammonia borane hydrolysis. (6th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cheng, Wei; Peng, Yumei; Wang, Yi; Jiang, Weidong; Long, Yan; Fan, Guangyin
• Is Part Of: International journal of hydrogen energy. Volume 46:Number 2(2021)
• Page Start: 2204
• Page End: 2212
• Publication Date: 2021-01-06
• Subjects: Rhodium nanoparticles -- Space-confinement -- Ammonia borane hydrolysis -- Hydrogen evolution; Hydrogen as fuel -- Periodicals; Hydrogène (Combustible) -- Périodiques; Hydrogen as fuel; Periodicals; 665.81
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.10.140
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-3199

Abstract

Abstract: Hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis is of great importance considering the ever-increasing demand for green and sustainable energy. However, the development of a facile and efficient strategy to construct high-performance catalysts remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report an amino-group and space-confinement assisted strategy to fabricate Rh nanoparticles (NPs) using amino-functionalized metal-organic-frameworks (UiO-66-NH2 ) as a NP matrix (Rh/UiO-66-NH2 ). Owing to the coordination effect of amino-group and space-confinement of UiO-66-NH2, small and well-distributed Rh NPs with a diameter of 3.38 nm are successfully achieved, which can be served as efficient catalysts for AB hydrolysis at room temperature. The maximum turnover frequency of 876.7 min −1 is obtained by using the Rh/UiO-66-NH2 with an optimal Rh loading of 4.38 wt% and AB concentration of 0.2 M at 25 °C, outperforming most of the previously developed Rh-based catalysts. The catalyst is also stable in repetitive cycles for five times. The high performance of this catalyst must be ascribed to the structural properties of UiO-66-NH2, which enable the formation of small and well-dispersed Rh NPs with abundant accessible active sites. This study provides a simple and efficient method to significantly enhance the catalytic performance of Rh for AB hydrolysis. Highlights: NH2 groups and space-confinement assisted synthesis of Rh/UiO-66-NH2 is obtained. The as-prepared Rh/UiO-66-NH2 can be used as efficient catalyst for AB hydrolysis. The catalyst with a Rh loading of 4.38 wt% shows an optimal TOF of 876.7 min −1 . This catalyst can be reused five times with a 62.5% of remaining initial activity.