Surface tailored Ru catalyst on magadiite for efficient hydrogen generation

Abstract In the present study, a uniformly dispersed, highly durable and efficient ruthenium (Ru) catalyst for hydrogen production was successfully prepared by a facile template method induced by surface-tailored magadiite. The catalyst was systematically characterized and the results revealed that the uniformly dispersed Ru particles with showing an average size of 1.2 nm preferred to anchor on the surface of magadiite, rather than intercalated into the support. Catalytic activity and reutilization of the catalysts were evaluated by evaluating the H2 generation rate (HGR) from an alkaline NaBH4 solution. The maximum HGR at 25 °C reached 59276 ± 500 mL·min−1·g−1 (Ru) with the presence of 3 wt% NaOH and 1 wt% NaBH4. More importantly, the catalytic activity of the reused catalyst still remained 95.7% of the initial HGR after 20 runs. Thus, the catalyst shows high durability and excellent reutilization towards the hydrolysis of alkaline NaBH4 solution. The uniform decoration of Ru particles on magaditte surface is responsible for the high efficiency of the catalyst. This work has revealed that tailoring the distribution of Ru particles on magadiite surface via a simple template method is a promising route for fabricating high-performance hydrogen production catalysts.