Zeolite Supported Ni and Co Catalysts for Hydrogen Generation via Hydrolysis of NaBH4

Zeolite supported nanostructured Ni and Co catalysts were synthesized at ambient conditions by cation-exchange reaction followed by a reduction of the adsorbed ions by NaBH
4
. Using UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy it was concluded that obtained products contained up to 3 wt. % of metal catalysts while the formed metallic nanoparticles were evenly distributed at the surface of the zeolite granules. Kinetics of hydrolysis of NaBH
4
in presence of Ni and Co based catalysts has been characterized and related to the rate of hydrogen generation. Using both amorphous and zeolite supported Ni and Co nanocatalysts leads to a stable generation of hydrogen in wide range of NaBH
4
concentrations and results in high extent of its conversion. Both amorphous and zeolite supported Ni and Co allow achieving a fast kinetics of hydrogen evolution, even though synthesized “in situ” amorphous Ni and Co showed a performance which was 25 % superior as compared to the catalysts deposited on zeolite. In combination with the high stability of the obtained nanocatalysts this suggests a potential of their application in the systems for hydrogen generation.