A commercial Pt based washcoat, used for catalytic methane combustion, was studied supported on a commercial SiC foam as catalytic material (Pt/SiC) for catalytic hydrogen combustion (CHC). Structural and chemical characterization was performed using Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The reaction was monitored following water concentration by Fourier Transform Infrared spectra (FTIR). The FTIR method was compared with H2 detection by Gas Cromatography (GC) and has shown to be adequate to study the kinetics of the CHC reaction in steady state under our experimental conditions (very lean 1% (v/v) H2/air mixtures). The catalyst is composed of 5–20 nm disperse Pt nanoparticles decorating a mixture of high surface area Al2O3 and small amounts of ceria supported on the SiC foam which also contains alumina as binder. The Pt/SiC catalytic material has demonstrated to be active enough to start up the reaction in a few seconds at room temperature. The material has been able to convert at least 18.5 Lhydrogen min−1 gPt−1 at room temperature in conditions of excess of catalyst. The Pt/SiC material was studied after use using XPS and no significant changes on Pt oxidation states were found. The material was characterized from a kinetic point of view. From the conversion-temperature plot a T50 (temperature for 50% conversion) of 34 °C was obtained. Activation energy measured in our conditions was 35 ± 1 kJ mol−1.Peer reviewe

In this work, sodium borohydride (SB) ethanolysis was explored for the first time as a method to generate hydrogen for Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. Ethanolysis by-product was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Metal and acid catalysts were tested. RuCl3·3H2O was the best metal catalyst. Acetic acid was selected for the study because of its effectiveness, low cost and relative greenness. The maximum gravimetric hydrogen density obtained was 2.1% wt. The addition of water produces an increase in hydrogen generation rate and a decrease in conversion. The use of ethanol-methanol mixtures produces an increase in reaction rates in absence of catalyst. As a proof of concept the reaction was performed in a small reactor which operates by the addition of ethanolic acetic acid solutions to solid SB (in the form of granules). The reactor produces stable and constant hydrogen generation in the range of 20–80 ml min−1 during 1 h at constant temperature (around 27–35 °C).Peer reviewe

Deactivation of a Co catalyst prepared as thin film by magnetron sputtering was studied for the sodium borohydride (SB) hydrolysis reaction under different conditions. Under high SB concentration in single run experiments, the formation of a B-O passivating layer was observed after 1.5 and 24 h use. This layer was not responsible for the catalyst deactivation. Instead, a peeling-off mechanism produced the loss of cobalt. This peeling-off mechanism was further studied in cycling experiments (14 cycles) under low SB concentrations. Ex-situ study of catalyst surface after use and solid reaction products (precipitates) was performed by X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The presence of cobalt hydroxide and oxyhydroxide was detected as major components on the catalyst surface after use and as precipitates in the supernatant solutions after washing. Cobalt borate, cobalt carbonate and oxycarbonate were also formed but in lesser amounts. These oxidized cobalt species were formed and further detached from the catalyst at the end of the reaction and/or during catalyst washing by decomposition of the unstable in-situ formed cobalt boride. Leaching of cobalt soluble species was negligible. Thin film mechanical detachment was also found but in a smaller extent. To study the influence of catalyst composition on deactivation processes, cycling experiments were performed with Co-B and Co-C catalysts, also prepared as thin films. We found that the deactivation mechanism proposed by us for the pure Co catalyst also occurred for a different pure Co (prepared at higher pressure) and the Co-B and Co-C samples in our experimental conditionsPeer reviewe