Ionic liquid functionalized graphene oxide decorated with copper oxide nanostructures towards H2 generation from sodium borohydride

•rGO/IL/CuO nanostructures are synthesized by chemical route.•H2 generation from NaBH4 has been studied by rGO/IL/CuO nanostructures.•Activation energy is found to be 46.1 kJ/mol.•rGO/IL/CuO shows good recyclability and catalytic activity.

With regards to tackling environmental issues from an economical perspective, hydrogen (H2) is considered as one of the promising and important alternative energy feedstock. Thus it is essential to develop highly efficient and economical catalyst for H2 generation. In the present study, a new nanocomposite which is composed of ionic liquid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO–IL) anchoring copper oxide nanoparticles was synthesized via chemical route. Detailed structural investigations of the rGO–IL–CuO nanocomposite material was done by X-ray diffractions and microscopic techniques employing scanning electron and high resolution transmission electron. The as-prepared nanocomposite was further characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The nanocomposite showed excellent catalytic activity towards H2 generation from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. The activation energy of rGO–IL–CuO nanocomposite catalyst was found to be 46.1 kJ/mol.

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