Development of a continuous hydrogen generator fueled by ammonia borane for portable fuel cell applications

Thermally-induced dehydrogenation from a mixture of ammonia borane (AB) and a chemical promoter, tetraethyleneglycol dimethylether (T4EGDE) (AB:T4EGDE = 79:21, wt%) has been demonstrated as an efficient method for hydrogen production at 85–145 °C. We further build on these prior results to create a continuous H2 generator fueled by solid AB beads. The as-developed H2 generator releases ca. 2 equiv of hydrogen autothermally during operation by utilizing excess heat produced from AB dehydrogenation without any external heater. A purifying system equipped with acidic filter materials is further utilized to remove gaseous byproducts other than hydrogen. The H2 generator shows a rapid H2-release rate up to 3.3 l(H2) min−1 with fast load-following capability. The as-developed H2 generator is ultimately integrated with a commercial 200 We polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) to test its capability.

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► A novel H2 generator fueled by ammonia borane is developed.
► Dehydrogenation of ammonia borane is achieved by solvent-mediated thermolyses.
► The H2 generator shows fast load-following capability and rapid response time.
► The H2 generator produces H2 autothermally to operate a 200 We PEMFC stack.