Chitosan-mediated Co-Ce-B nanoparticles for catalyzing the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Highly dispersed Co-Ce-B nanoparticles supported on chitosan-derived carbon (Co-Ce-B/Chi-C) were synthesized through chemical reduction and carbonization. The morphology and microstructure of the Co-Ce-B/Chi-C nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption analysis. This nanocomposite had uniform morphology and large surface area, and it showed high catalytic activity for NaBH4 hydrolysis and good cycle stability. Compared with unsupported Co-Ce-B particles, this nanocomposite showed greatly increased catalytic activity for NaBH4 hydrolysis. A remarkably high hydrogen generation rate of 4760 mL−1 min−1 g−1 at 30 °C was achieved with low activation energy of 33.1 kJ mol−1. These results indicate that the Co-Ce-B/Chi-C nanocomposite is a promising catalyst for on-demand hydrogen generation via NaBH4 hydrolysis.