Highly efficient Ru/carbon catalysts prepared by pyrolysis of supported Ru complex towards the hydrogen production from ammonia borane

•Highly efficient Ru/carbon catalysts for the hydrogen production from ammonia borane were synthesized.•Metal complex decomposition temperature plays a pivotal role in determining the catalysts features.•A very high TOF number of 670 mol H2/mol metal min was achieved with the best performing catalyst.

Highly efficient carbon-supported Ru catalysts towards the H2 production from the ammonia borane (AB: NH3BH3) hydrolysis reaction have been developed by using tri(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium (II) chloride hexahydrate as metal precursor. Different temperatures were used to decompose the metal precursor, which afford the preparation of various nanoparticles sizes, ranging from 3.8 to 13.5 nm. The catalytic results revealed that both geometric and electronic features of the metal nanoparticles are crucial to attain optimum catalytic activity towards the H2 production from the hydrolysis of AB. The optimum catalyst under the experimental condition used was that prepared at 800 °C, which efficiently boosts the hydrolysis of AB, achieving an average TOF number of 670 mol H2/mol metal min, which is among the highest values ever reported for a monometallic Ru catalyst in this reaction up to date.

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