2D NiFe/CeO Basic-Site-Enhanced Catalyst via in-Situ Topotactic Reduction for Selectively Catalyzing the H Generation from NH·HO.

An economical catalyst with excellent selectivity and high activity is eagerly desirable for H generation from the decomposition of NH·HO. Here, a bifunctional two-dimensional NiFe/CeO nanocatalyst with NiFe nanoparticles (∼5 nm) uniformly anchored on CeO nanosheets supports has been successfully synthesized through a dynamic controlling coprecipitation process followed by in-situ topotactic reduction. Even without NaOH as catalyst promoter, as-designed NiFe/CeO nanocatalyst can show high activity for selectively catalyzing H generation (reaction rate (mol mol h): 5.73 h). As ceria is easily reducible from CeO to CeO, the surface of CeO could supply an extremely large amount of Ce, and the high-density electrons of Ce can work as Lewis base to facilitate the absorption of NH, which can weaken the N-H bond and promote NiFe active centers to break the N-H bond preferentially, resulting in the high catalytic selectivity (over 99%) and activity for the H generation from NH·HO.