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Abstract

Use of environmentally friendly hydrogen as fuel on a massive scale requires efficient storage and generation systems. Chemical hydrides, such as sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), have the capacity to meet these needs as demonstrated by its high hydrogen storage efficiency. Here, we first report the catalytic activity of Fe–B nanoparticles supported on porous Ni foam – synthesized via a simple chemical reduction technique – for hydrogen generation from the mixtures of NaBH₄, H₂O, and CH₃OH. Activation energies of the catalyzed hydrolysis (64.26 kJ mol^-1) and methanolysis (7.02 kJ mol^-1) are notably lower than other metal-boron catalysts previously reported. Methanol, in combination with a cheap but highly active Fe–B nanocatalysts, provides ultrafast rates of low temperature hydrogen generation from the sodium borohydride solutions.