Hydrogen production and photocatalytic activities from NaBH4 using trimetallic biogenic PdPtCo nanoparticles: Development of machine learning model

The production of economical and environmentally friendly monodisperse and stable nanocatalysts is of great interest in the field of catalysis. In this study, palladium-platinumcobalt nanoparticles (PdPtCo NPs) were synthesized by the green synthesis method using apple (Malus domestica) peels. The resulting PdPtCo NPs were characterized by UV-Visible spectrometry (UV-Vis), Fourier-transformed infrared spectrum- near infrared spectrum (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD). According to the UV-Vis spectrum, it was observed that Malus domestica peels gave a peak at 283 nm. According to XRD analysis, the crystal particle size of PdPtCo NPs was determined to be 2.53 nm in size. It was observed that PdPtCo NPs acted as catalysts and increased the rate of hydrogen production in the presence of NaBH4 substrate. The turnover frequency (TOF), activation energy (Ea), enthalpy ( increment H), and entropy values ( increment S) were found to be as 1109.85 h-1, 36.98 kJ/mol, 34.44 kJ/mol, -138.9 J/mol.K, respectively. Based on NaBH4 concentrations, catalyst concentration temperature, and reaction time, the rate of hydrogen production was modeled using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Furthermore, the photodegradation of NPs against methylene blue (MB) dye was investigated using visible light irradiation, and their photodegradation percent was calculated as 84.7%, the results showing that the production of hydrogen and photodegradation against MB was successfully achieved. The study emphasizes the safety, sustainability, and high catalytic activity of biogenic PdPtCo NPs, which generate less toxic waste, proving its efficiency for sustainable energy production that is harmless to the environment and living health. The novelty of the study is sustained by the use of apple peals for NPs synthesis and by the application of ANNs to predict the rate of hydrogen production. (c) 2022 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.