Robust aerogel of two-dimensional composite microparticle of amorphous ruthenium-cobalt hydroxide and GO for hydrogen generation via NaBH4 hydrolysis

Abstract

Monolithic catalyst is very important for the further industrial application of hydrogen production via NaBH₄ hydrolysis. Nowadays, the structural stability and catalytic performance of aerogel based monolithic catalysts still need to be further improved. Herein, the amorphous Ru–Co(OH)_x@GO particles are synthesized by in-situ growth and transformation of ZIF-67 on the surface of GO, the hydrogen generation rate and activation energy via catalytic NaBH₄ hydrolysis can reach 11,062 mL min⁻¹ g⁻¹ and 36.2 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Meanwhile, the composite aerogel of Ru–Co(OH)_x@GO, chitosan and carbonylated cellulose nanofiber is prepared by solution blending and freeze drying, and the hydrogen generation rate has 7680 mL min⁻¹ g⁻¹ (retained 69.4%) under the same amount of Ru–Co(OH)_x@GO. Furthermore, after high speed catalytic hydrogen generation, the aerogel can still maintain its structural integrity, thus facilitating recovery and reuse, which is attributed to the co-structural coupling of carbonylated cellulose nanofiber and chitosan macromolecule to the skeleton. This work provides a convenient and controllable strategy for the development of monolithic catalysts.