Research progress of ammonia borane hydrolytic hydrogen production

Hydrogen energy is an important clean energy to replace traditional fossil energy. However, achieving high-quality and dense storage of hydrogen energy and rapid release under mild conditions is still a major bottleneck. Ammonia borane, with a high hydrogen content of 19.6%(mass), that can release hydrogen under mild condition, is an exordinary hydrogen storage material. However, ammonia borane is relatively stable in water, so the development of catalyst is very important. The research on hydrolyzing catalyst of ammonia borane mainly focuses on metal, metal compound and photocatalyst. In this paper, the research methods of ammonia borane hydrolysis for hydrogen production are introduced in practice, and the steps and mechanism of ammonia borane hydrolysis are reviewed theoretically. Noble metals have intrinsic ammonia borane catalytic activity and the design of noble metal catalysts should focus on reducing particle size to avoid agglomeration. Specific strategies include the addition of surfactants and loads on skeleton and atomic dispersion. Due to the different electronegativity between metals, metal alloys will have their own charge migration. Such unbalance charge can effectively adsorb the different hydrogen on ammonia borane and promote the dissociation. Metal compounds have also become the focus of research and development due to their unique electronic properties. Photocatalysis can drive semiconductor or plasma materials to generate electrons and holes and promote charge transfer, so it is also an effective measure to improve hydrolysis efficiency. This paper describes the process of hydrogen production, introduces the method of positive regulation of reaction, and puts forward the design strategy of catalyst in the future. © 2021, Editorial Board of CIESC Journal. All right reserved.