Influence of plasma treatment on Ce0.05–Ni–W–B catalyst for hydrogen production by hydrolysis of NaBH4

•Catalytic properties of Ce0.05-Ni-W-B with cold plasma were investigated.•Produced Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst applied to hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of NaBH4.•Hydrolysis with Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst by using cold plasma was completed in 30 min.•Hydrolysis with Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst produced in known method was completed in 45 min.•The activation energy of the plasma treated Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalysts were found to be 41.18 kJ mol−1.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of plasma treatment on the surface of Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst. The Ce0.05–Ni–W–B catalysts were treated with argon plasma at a different treatment time. Ce was used as a promoter. NaBH4 concentration, NaOH concentration, temperature, plasma applying time and plasma gases was investigated for the hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of NaBH4 with Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalyst. The catalysts were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results of the activity tests indicate that the plasma treatment greatly influence the activity. The activation energies for zero-order of the untreated and plasma treated Ce0.05-Ni-W-B catalysts were found to be 51.87 and 41.18 kJ mol−1, respectively.