Role of cobalt phosphide carrier in promoting catalytic efficiency of Ru nanoparticles in hydrogen generation

The role of the carrier in metal catalyst performance is crucial, but creating high-quality carriers remains a significant challenge. In this study, multi-component cobalt phosphide nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using a one-step phosphorization method to serve as carriers for loading Ru ultrafine nanoparticles. The resulting multi-component metal catalyst (CoP-Co2P/Ru) 2 P/Ru) exhibited exceptional robustness and reusability in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane for hydrogen generation, achieving a total turnover frequency of 568 mol of H2 2 per mol of Ru per min at room temperature. Durability tests revealed that 70 % of the initial catalytic activity was preserved after the tenth operation. The enhanced catalytic performance of Ru nanoparticles in this reaction can be attributed to the structural stability of the cobalt phosphide carrier, ensuring the stability of Ru nanoparticles and enabling a uniform distribution of Ru on CoP-Co2P 2 P with ultrafine particle size. This contributes to the longevity and effectiveness of the catalyst. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the cobalt phosphide carrier facilitates a strong interfacial interaction with Ru nanoparticles, promoting ammonia borane molecule adsorption and B-H bond cleavage efficiency to improve the efficiency and catalytic activity of the catalyst.