Ammonia decomposition over citric acid induced γ-Mo2N and Co3Mo3N catalysts

Abstract This work focuses on a novel synthesis route, using citric acid as a chelating agent, for the formation of γ-Mo 2 N and Co 3 Mo 3 N bulk catalyst and their application for NH 3 decomposition reaction for hydrogen production having its application for onboard generation of hydrogen for fuel cell in transportation vehicles. Successful formation of the pure bulk phase of Co 3 Mo 3 N was confirmed by using XRD, XPS, HRTEM techniques. The prepared Co 3 Mo 3 N catalyst showed high surface area 15.23 m 2 /g and high catalytic activity compared to bulk γ-Mo 2 N for this decomposition reaction, having 97% conversion of NH 3 at 550 °C at 6000 h −1 .