A picoscale catalyst for hydrogen generation from NaBH4 for fuel cells

NaBH4, a safe and high energy density source of H2 for fuel cells, requires a catalyst for reliable hydrogen production. In this paper we show that Pt and Pd atoms, apparently dispersed elementally, on functionalized   surfaces of carbon nanotubes (CNT) leads to the highest value for the figure of merit (~300 L min−1 gmetal−1 [NaBH4]−1) reported so far in the literature. This result was achieved with a 150 μm thick CNT paper. Thinner paper produces even higher rates of hydrogen generation. The catalyst is robust, continuing to operate without degradation in performance for more than 20 cycles. The kinetic data are analyzed by a combination of first order and zero order reactions. The analysis provides a framework for predicting the performance of the catalyst for fuel cell applications.