Carbon-supported bimetallic RuCu catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis
Muhammad Afzal Arain1, Shuling Liu1, Jiaqi Wang1
1College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou 450001, PR China.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|December 18, 2025
Summary
Highly dispersed RuCu alloy nanoparticles on biomass-derived carbon efficiently catalyze hydrogen generation from ammonia borane hydrolysis. This cost-effective nanocatalyst offers enhanced activity and stability for sustainable hydrogen production.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Developing efficient and affordable catalysts is crucial for sustainable hydrogen generation.
- Alloying noble metals with earth-abundant transition metals enhances catalytic activity and stability.
- Ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃, AB) hydrolysis is a promising pathway for hydrogen production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize RuCu alloy nanoparticles on biomass-derived carbon (BDC) for hydrogen evolution.
- To investigate the catalytic performance of RuCu alloys for ammonia borane hydrolysis.
- To understand the synergistic effects between Ru and Cu in the alloy structure.
Main Methods:
- Impregnation reduction method for synthesizing RuCu alloy nanoparticles.
- Utilizing biomass-derived carbon (BDC) as a support material.
- Characterization of alloy composition and catalytic performance through various analytical techniques.
Main Results:
- RuCu alloy nanoparticles exhibited significantly improved catalytic performance compared to monometallic Ru or Cu.
- The optimized Ru₀.₇Cu₀.₃/BDC catalyst achieved a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 424 molH₂·molRu-1·min-1.
- Synergistic interactions between Ru and Cu created multiatomic active sites, accelerating hydrogen generation.
Conclusions:
- Rational alloying of Ru and Cu on BDC is an effective strategy for designing high-performance nanocatalysts.
- The developed RuCu/BDC catalyst demonstrates excellent potential for cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production.
- This work provides insights into catalyst design for advanced hydrogen energy applications.
Keywords:
Activated biomass-derived carbonAmmonia borane hydrolysisHeterogeneous catalysisHydrogen evolutionRuCu alloysMore Related Videos
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