Hydrogen production from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane catalyzed by metal catalysts: a review

Abstract

As fossil fuels are gradually depleted, hydrogen energy is considered to be a replaceable energy on the world stage, which is mainly due to its high calorific value, small molecule and no pollution in combustion. However, there are still technical difficulties in hydrogen production and storage. Ammonia borane (NH3BH3) is a promising solid hydrogen storage material with good stable property and high hydrogen storage capacity of 19.6 wt.%. In this review, catalyzed hydrolysis of NH3BH3 by employed metal catalysts for hydrogen production is summarized, and its development direction is prospected to meet the future energy needs. There are two types of catalysts, containing non-supported catalysts and supported catalysts. By comparison, it can be inferred that supported catalysts show better catalytic activity toward the hydrolysis of NH3BH3. However, doping with non-noble metals is still commonly used, and the catalyzed mechanism about how the synergistic effect between metal nanoparticles and supports regulates the hydrolysis of NH3BH3 is further investigated. It will be more meaningful to develop new-style composite carriers, combine the theory and experiment to explore the catalytic activity and the mechanism of action, and exploit multi-component non-precious metal alloy supported catalysts.