Properties of CuCoP/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for efficient hydrogen generation by hydrolysis of alkaline NaBH4 solution

The catalytic properties of CuCoP/γ-Al2O3 in hydrogen production via sodium borohydride hydrolysis were investigated on aspects of the surface morphology, structure and chemical composition. The characterization methods employed are X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The amorphous CuCoP/γ-Al2O3 alloy catalyst was synthesized by electroless deposition. It was found that the as-prepared catalysts exhibited low activation energy (Ea = 47.8 kJ mol−1) and good cycle properties in catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH4 solution. The influences of NaOH and NaBH4 concentration and temperature on hydrogen generation rate (HRG) were also investigated in this paper.