Hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride using Co3O4hollow microspheres as high-efficient catalyst precursor synthesized by facile bio-template method

For hydrogen production from the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride, Co(3)O(4)hollow microspheres as high-efficient catalyst precursor were synthesized by facile bio-template method in this work. In brief, common yeast and hexamethylene-tetramine (C6H12N4) were served as template and precipitant, respectively, and precipitation and calcination were the main steps for catalyst preparation. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption method were employed for material characterization. Experimental results indicated that the resulting Co(3)O(4)hollow microspheres were composed of 6-10 nm nanoparticles and had a diameter of 1-2 mu m and a wall-thickness of 70-80 nm. Catalyst performance was evaluated by conventional water displacement method. Using a 10 wt% NaBH4 + 2 wt% NaOH solution, the hydrogen generation rate was measured to be 5.34 L center dot min(-1)center dot g(-1)(25 degrees C), which is much higher than similar cobalt oxides reported in literature. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy and reusing performance of the Co(3)O(4)catalyst were investigated as well.