Hierarchical Co3O4/SAPO-34 supported PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles as highly efficient catalyst for hydrogen generation from ammonia borane hydrolysis

Hierarchical Co3O4/SAPO-34 supported PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform dispersion and narrow size-distribution were prepared for the hydrolysis of AB to produce hydrogen. Strategies including the sequential impregnation of cobalt and platinum precursors followed by partial reduction were employed to anchor Pt NPs. Befitting from the interfacial interaction between Co and Co3O4 NPs, the intermetallic synergistic effect of PtCo NPs and the synergistic interaction between Co NPs and SAPO-34 zeolite, the prepared Pt@Co/Co3O4/SP-10(400,2) catalyst exhibited outstanding catalytic activity with a high turnover frequency (TOF) value of 314 molH2(molPt·min)-1 at 303 K. In addition, the flake-assemble hierarchical structure of SAPO-34 played an important role in improving the dispersion of metal NPs and the mass transfer rate between reactants and active sites.