CuCo nanoparticles supported on hierarchically porous carbon as catalysts for hydrolysis of ammonia borane

We report on the synthesis of Cu0.2Co0.8 nanoparticles (NPs) supported on hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) and their catalytic activities for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane. Cu0.2Co0.8/HPC catalysts have been prepared by chemical reduction with aqueous solution of NaBH4 and NaOH. The results show that Cu0.2Co0.8 NPs (∼8 nm) are homogeneously anchored on HPC with an interconnected porous architecture, which shows a total pore volume of 0.2807 cm3 g−1 and a high surface area of 600 m2 g−1. Furthermore, the large surface area and porous architecture of HPC are beneficial to limit the migration of Cu0.2Co0.8 NPs and enhance the loading contents of Cu0.2Co0.8. Among the as-prepared Cu0.2Co0.8/HPC samples, Cu0.2Co0.8/HPC with 32.3 wt% Cu0.2Co0.8 NPs exhibits the best catalytic activity, displaying a max hydrogen generation rate of 2960 mL min−1 g−1 and an activation energy of 41.7 kJ mol−1. With enchanced catalytic abilities and good recycling ability, Cu0.2Co0.8/HPC catalysts could be promisingly employed in hydrogen storage.