Effects of nickel foam dimensions on catalytic activity of supported Co–Mn–B nanocomposites for hydrogen generation from stabilized borohydride solutions

In the present work, the catalytic activity of electrodeposited Co–Mn–B nanocomposites towards controllable hydrolysis of sodium borohydride was studied. Deposition was performed on two types of Ni-foam (RECEMAT Int.) with different pore size, specific surface area and thickness. Higher deposit loading, as well as bigger real surface area, was obtained with foam samples possessing bigger pore size. The catalyst deposited on bigger pore foam promoted hydrogen generation with higher rates than the other one when contacted with a base-stabilized NaBH4 solution. The same activation energy value, however, was determined for both supported catalysts. On the base of the obtained results, it may be concluded that the geometric factor plays predominant role for the catalytic activity of studied catalysts.