Abstract
Homogenously dispersed, ultrafine Ni nanoparticles (Ni NPs) have been grown in a mesoporous carbon (MC) matrix (MC-Niinsitu) and efficiently catalyze low-temperature hydrogen desorption from Mg(BH4)2. The onset desorption temperature (Tonset) of this MC-Niinsitu-Mg(BH4)2 system is 44 °C compared to 275 °C (Tonset) for pure Mg(BH4)2. This is the lowest value reported for hydrogen desorption from this metal hydride. The activation energy (Ea) of MC-Niinsitu-Mg(BH4)2 was determined to be 21.3 kJ/mol which is less than half the value of 45.9 kJ/mol for pure Mg(BH4)2. We ascribe this reduction to the synergistic effects of nanoconfinement and the homogeneously dispersed, ultrafine Ni NPs active sites in the mesoporous carbon.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 20573-20582 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 45 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Dec 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |