Self-Supported Pt@Ni₂P for Controllable Hydrogen Release from Ammonia-Borane Hydrolysis

The chemical storage of hydrogen is well accomplished by ammonia borane. However, a significant barrier to utilizing ammonia borane practically is developing extraordinarily effective and inexpensive catalysts that propel hydrogen evolution from it. In this work, the catalyst Pt@Ni₂P/nickel foam (NF) is synthesized by embedding platinum (Pt) nanoparticles over self-supported Ni₂P/NF. Pt@Ni₂P/NF enables a high synergetic effect between Pt nanoparticles and Ni₂P/NF, boosting the hydrolysis of ammonia borane. The catalyst Pt@Ni₂P/NF activity enriches 3.0-fold compared to Ni₂P/NF and 25.5-fold compared to pristine Ni₂P. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope analysis reveals that embedding Pt nanoparticles over self-supported Ni₂P generates a strong interaction between (Ni₂P/NF)^δ+ and (Pt)^δ−. The chemical kinetic results reveal that the activation energy and turnover frequency of Pt@Ni₂P/NF are calculated to be 31.0 kJ mol^–1 and 63.2 min^–1 for 0.13 M AB. This study demonstrates a reliable method used to develop active sites of (Ni₂P)^δ+ and (Pt)^δ− for ammonia-borane hydrolysis. The controllable hydrogen release and facile on/off characteristic of the catalyst demonstrate a feasible way to boost the catalytic performance by constructing a two-dimensional (2D) structure.