Catalytic decomposition of hydrous hydrazine over NiPt/La2O3 catalyst: A high-performance hydrogen storage system

• NiPt/La2O3 catalyst shows high activity for complete decomposition of N2H4·H2O.
• The formation of NiPt alloy is the reason for the desired catalytic performance.
• A concentrated N2H4⋅H2O system with 6 wt% hydrogen capacity is first reported.
• The obtained promising results may promote the practical application of N2H4⋅H2O.

Hydrous hydrazine (N2H4⋅H2O) has attracted considerable interest as a potential hydrogen carrier for vehicular or portable applications. But currently, most of published experimental works focus on dilute N2H4⋅H2O solution with a limited hydrogen capacity to 2 wt%, which is well below the practical requirements. Herein, we report the catalytic decomposition of concentrated N2H4⋅H2O solution over a La2O3-supported NiPt alloy catalyst. The NiPt/La2O3 catalyst prepared by a one-pot co-precipitation method shows exceptionally high catalytic activity and 100% selectivity towards hydrogen generation from N2H4⋅H2O at ambient temperatures. In particular, our study has demonstrated, for the first time, that the system composed of concentrated N2H4⋅H2O solution, high-performance NiPt/La2O3 catalyst and appropriate amount of alkali promoter can yield a material-based hydrogen capacity of 6 wt%. This finding is of clear significance for promoting the practical application of N2H4⋅H2O as a viable hydrogen carrier.

A high-performance chemical hydrogen storage system composed of concentrated N2H4⋅H2O solution, NiPt/La2O3 catalyst and alkali promoter can rapidly release 6 wt% H2 in a controllable way.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide