The current climate crisis warrants investigation into alternative fuel sources. The hydrolysis reaction of an aqueous hydride precursor, and the subsequent production of hydrogen gas, prove to be a viable option. A network of beta-cyclodextrin capped gold nanoparticles (BCD-AuNP) was synthesized and subsequently characterized by Powder X-Ray Diffraction (P-XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS) to confirm the presence of gold nanoparticles as well as their size of approximately 8 nm. The catalytic activity of the nanoparticles was tested in the hydrolysis reaction of sodium borohydride. The gold catalyst performed best at 303 K producing 1.377 mL min⁻¹ mL_cat⁻¹ of hydrogen. The activation energy of the catalyst was calculated to be 54.7 kJ/mol. The catalyst resisted degradation in reusability trials, continuing to produce hydrogen gas in up to five trials.

The dwindling supply of fossil fuels has resulted in a search for an efficient alternative energy source. Hydrogen gas offers an abundant, clean-burning supply of energy that can be readily produced over time via the water-splitting reaction of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). This study explored the synthesis of a novel catalyst comprised of silver nanoparticles supported on fused carbon spheres (AgNP-FCS). This composite catalyst was then tested for its ability to optimize the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH₄. The fused carbon spheres (FCS) were synthesized via a sustainable source, namely a dextrose solution. The synthesized AgNP-FCS catalyst was characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The average diameter of silver nanoparticles on the catalyst was found to be 30 nm with 3.7% loading. This catalyst was tested under various reaction conditions, including temperatures, doses of NaBH₄, and solution pHs. The activation energy of the reaction as catalyzed by AgNP-FCS was determined to be 37.0 kJ mol⁻¹, which was competitive when compared to similar catalysts for this reaction. A study of the reusability of this catalyst suggests that the catalyst can be used multiple times consecutively with no loss in hydrogen generated. This material presents an opportunity for a sustainable catalyst to optimize the amount of hydrogen generated via the hydrolysis of NaBH₄.

Ultra-small palladium nanoparticles were synthesized and applied as catalysts for a hydrogen evolution reaction. The palladium metal precursor was produced via beta-cyclodextrin as organo-nanocup (ONC) capping agent to produce ultra-small nanoparticles used in this study. The produced ~3 nm nanoparticle catalyst was then characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to confirm the successful synthesis of ~3 nm palladium nanoparticles. The nanoparticles’ catalytic ability was explored via the hydrolysis reaction of sodium borohydride. The palladium nanoparticle catalyst performed best at 303 K at a pH of 7 with 925 μmol of sodium borohydride having an H₂ generation rate of 1.431 mL min⁻¹ mL_cat⁻¹. The activation energy of the palladium catalyst was calculated to be 58.9 kJ/mol.

The dwindling supply of fossil fuels has prompted the search for an alternative energy source that could effectively replace them. Potential renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal are all promising but each has its own drawbacks. Hydrogen gas on the other hand can be combusted to produce energy with only water as a byproduct and can be steadily generated via the aqueous media hydrolysis reaction of Sodium Borohydride (NaBH₄). This study successfully synthesized fused carbon spheres derived from sugar and decorated them with platinum nanoparticles to form a novel composite material (PtFCS) for catalyzing this reaction. The platinum nanoparticles were produced by reducing chloroplatinic acid in a solution with sodium borohydride and using sodium citrate as a capping agent for the nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize and determine the size and shape of the Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) and fused carbon spheres. TEM was able to determine the average size of the fused carbon spheres to be 200 nm and the average size for the PtNPs to be 2–3 nm. The PtFCS composite was tested for its ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ under various reaction conditions including various solution pH, various temperatures, and various dosages of sodium borohydride. The catalyst was found to perform the best under acidic solution conditions (pH 6), producing hydrogen at a rate of 0.0438 mL/mg_cat·min. The catalyst was determined to have an activation energy of 53.0 kJ/mol and could be used multiple times in succession with no loss in the volume of hydrogen produced. This sugar-derived composite catalyst shows promise and could be implemented as a sustainable catalyst for the generation of hydrogen fuel.

The search for a clean abundant energy source brought hydrogen gas into the limelight; however, the explosive nature of the gas brings up issues with its storage. A way to mitigate this danger is through the storing of hydrogen in a hydrogen feedstock material, which contains a large percentage of its weight as hydrogen. Sodium borohydride is a feedstock material that gained a lot of attention as it readily reacts with water to release hydrogen. This study explored a novel composite composed of palladium nanoparticles supported on a sugar-derived fused graphene-like material support (PdFGLM) for its ability to catalyze the reaction of sodium borohydride in water. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize and determine the size and shape of the catalyst used in this study. The XRD study detected the presence of palladium nanoparticles, and the EDS date confirmed the presence of 3% palladium nanoparticles. The TEM result shows the palladium nanoparticles of 5.5 nm incorporated to the graphene-like material layers. The composite contained approximately 3% palladium. In the hydrogenation reactions, it was observed that optimal reaction conditions included lower pHs, increased temperatures, and increased dosages of sodium borohydride. The reaction had the greatest hydrogen generation rate of 0.0392 mL min⁻¹ mg_cat⁻¹ at pH 6. The catalyst was tested multiple times in succession and was discovered to increase the volume of hydrogen produced, with later trials indicating the catalyst becomes more activated with multiple uses. The activation energy of the reaction as catalyzed by PdFGLM was found to be 45.1 kJ mol⁻¹, which is comparable to other catalysts for this reaction. This study indicates that this catalyst material has potential as a sustainable material for the generation of hydrogen.

The need for an alternative energy source that is both clean and abundant has led to research into a hydrogen economy. Hydrogen gas can be produced slowly via the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). A catalyst can be used to speed up the rate at which hydrogen is produced, however many catalysts involve relatively expensive materials like precious metals. This study explores a novel copper nanoparticle supported on a graphene-like material composite as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of NaBH₄. The material was characterized via powdered X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Energy Dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The P-XRD confirmed the crystallinity structures of graphene-like material (GLM) and copper nanoparticles supported over graphene-like material (CuGLM). The P-XRD spectra indicated the (110), (111), and (200) lattice planes of copper nanoparticles. In FTIR analysis, the shifted and sharpening functional group peaks were observed when copper nanoparticles were supported by the GLM template. The TEM result indicated that the copper nanoparticle had a size of approximately 10 nm. The catalyst (CuGLM) was tested under different doses of NaBH₄, solution pH, and reaction temperatures. Temperature data were used to determine the activation energy of the reaction to be 46.8 kJ mol⁻¹, which is competitive when compared to similar catalysts. The catalyzed reaction generated the highest volume of hydrogen at pH 8 (51 mL), 303 K (32 mL), and 1225 μmol of NaBH₄ (37 mL). The catalyst was found to be able to be used multiple times in succession without any significant loss in hydrogen generated. This catalyst is an exciting option for the sustainable generation of hydrogen gas as a fuel source.