Synthesis of a Fe-Ni Alloy on a Ceria Support as a Noble-Metal-Free Catalyst for Hydrogen Production from Chemical Hydrogen Storage Materials

Bimetallic FeNi nanoparticles supported on CeO2 was proven to be effective for hydrogen production from ammoniaborane (NH3-BH3) as a noble-metal-free catalyst. Impregnation of iron and nickel ions with the CeO2 surface followed by in situ reduction with NaBH4 prior to catalytic dehydrogenation of AB produced highly dispersed and partially oxidized amorphous FeNi NPs stabilized by strong interaction with the CeO2 support by Ni-O-Ce and Fe-O-Ce bonding. Investigation of the influence of the Fe/Ni ratio revealed a volcano-shaped relationship with a maximum at Fe/Ni= 1. FeNi/CeO2 was further applicable to dehydrogenation from dimethylamine-borane ((CH3)(2)NHBH3). The advantages of this catalytic system, such as the facile preparation method, free of noble metals, and high recyclability, with easy recovery from the reaction mixture by application of an external magnet, are particularly desirable for a hydrogen vector in terms of potential industrial application in fuel cells.