Cr2O3-modified NiFe nanoparticles as a noble-metal-free catalyst for complete dehydrogenation of hydrazine in aqueous solution

Abstract The development of highly active, stable, and inexpensive catalysts for efficient and complete dehydrogenation of hydrazine is highly attractive but still very challenging. Herein, Cr2O3-modified NiFe (NiFe-Cr2O3) nanopartciles (NPs) have been designed as the heterogeneous catalyst. Both the catalytic activity and hydrogen selectivity of Ni0.9Fe0.1-Cr2O3 NPs were improved remarkably as compared with those of their mono-metallic counterparts. The prepared Ni0.9Fe0.1-Cr2O3 catalyst exhibited an outstanding catalytic activity to release 3.0 equiv. (H2 + N2) from hydrazine in only 8.5 min at 70 °C, providing a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 893.5 h−1 based on surface metal atoms. Systematic studies indicated that the small size and high surface area of Ni0.9Fe0.1-Cr2O3 as well as the strong synergistic electronic effect between Cr2O3 and NiFe NPs resulted in the excellent activity of Ni0.9Fe0.1-Cr2O3 catalyst. Such a highly rapid, long term durability, and low cost catalyst may encourage greatly the practical application of hydrous hydrazine as a chemical hydrogen storage material.