Carbothermal shock fabrication of CoO‐Cu 2 O nanocomposites on N‐doped porous carbon for enhanced hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Abstract The high hydrogen desorption density (19.6 wt%) of ammonia borane (AB) makes it one of the most promising chemical hydrogen storage materials. Developing cost‐effective catalysts is the key for accelerating the hydrolysis of AB. Herein, we present a straightforward synthesis method for the Cu 2 O decorated CoO catalyst derived from ZIF‐67 precursors using carbothermal shock (~ 1 s) in air. The obtained results demonstrate that a small amount of Cu 2 O doping into CoO synergistically enhances AB hydrolysis, resulting in an almost fivefold increase in turnover frequency (TOF = 97 mol CoO −1 min −1 at 298 K). Further studies indicated that the incorporation of Cu 2 O alters the electronic distribution of the surface of catalysts, introducing more oxygen vacancies and increasing the pyridinic nitrogen content. The increased oxygen vacancies effectively enhanced the adsorption and activation ability of active sites for reactants (H 2 O and AB), while the targeting effect of pyridinic nitrogen enhances the dispersion of the catalyst. Theoretical analysis reveals that CoO plays a key role in the dissociation of H 2 O, while minor doping with Cu 2 O substantially reduces the dissociation energy barrier of AB. This research provides a novel strategy for the design and efficient preparation of AB hydrolysis catalysts for efficient hydrogen production.