Use of a nickel-boride–silica nanocomposite catalyst prepared by in-situ reduction for hydrogen production from hydrolysis of sodium borohydride

Hydrogen was produced by hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) using nickel-boride–silica nanocomposite catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). The Ni-B–silica nanocomposite catalyst was found to consist of amorphous Ni-B nanoparticles attached to the surface of amine-modified silica nanosphere. The kinetics of hydrolysis of NaBH4 by Ni-B–silica composite catalyst was investigated. The effects of temperature, NaBH4 concentration, and catalyst concentration on hydrogen generation were also investigated. A rate of hydrogen generation as high as 1916 ml H2/min/g Ni was achieved by catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH4. The stability of the composite catalyst was also explored.