Kinetic properties of co-reduced Co-B/graphene catalyst powder for hydrogen generation of sodium borohydride

The aim of the present work is to investigate the kinetic properties of Co-B nanoparticles which are deposited on graphene sheets by simultaneous chemical reduction of Co+2 and graphite oxides using NaBH4 as the reducing agent. The reduced Co-B/graphene nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, and the effects of the concentration of NaBH4, NaOH, and hydrolytic temperature were discussed in detail. The results show that the concentration of NaBH4 and NaOH indeed exerted a significant impact on the hydrogen generation rate of Co-B/graphene catalysts. Reaction rate of hydrolysis first rises up and then decreases subsequently with the rising of NaOH and NaBH4 concentration. The results show that the Co-B/graphene catalyst has the high catalytic activity with activation energy of 52.45 kJ.mol(-1), and showed high resistance against deterioration and stability as a function of time. The present method is promising for the synthesis of effective supported catalysts for hydrolysis of NaBH4. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.