Evidence for the antioxidation effect of boron on the ultrafine amorphous Ni-B alloy catalyst

The results obtained from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) clearly demonstrated the strong antioxidation ability of the amorphous Ni-B alloy for the first time, in which the alloying B plays an essential role. Alloying B preferentially absorbed O2 and those in the bulk would diffuse to the surface when the surface elemental boron was consumed, preventing nickel from oxidation. Such an attractive property of the amorphous Ni-B alloy originating from its special electronic structure makes it highly promising for practical catalytic processes.