Waste-biomass-derived activated carbon supported Co-Cu-P nanocatalysts for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane.

Hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane is a significant and promising approach for on-site hydrogen production at ambient conditions, and developing highly efficient and low-cost catalysts has attracted considerable attention. Herein, waste-biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) was prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and alkali-assisted activation, and non-precious bimetal phosphides (Co-Cu-P) nanocatalysts with a series of different Co/Cu ratios were synthesized on the AC surface through phosphidation method. Owing to the synergetic effects, the optimal CoCuP/AC presents an outstanding turnover frequency of 26.5 min (25 °C), which is much higher than that of many reported catalysts. The reaction activation energy was measured to be 34.6 kJ mol. Benefiting from the ferromagnetic nature of the phosphides, the CoCuP/AC can be magnetically separated and reused again. After recycling six times, the catalyst still retains 72% of the initial activity, thus indicating great potential for practical applications.