Development of Ni-Ti-B ternary catalysts for NaBH4 hydrolysis reaction and evaluation of their catalytic activities

Since it can be obtained from renewable sources and has a high heat value, hydrogen is a promising energy source. Chemical hydrides, such as sodium borohydride (NaBH4), are used as hydrogen resources. This is due to their relatively high hydrogen content together with their recyclability. In this study, Ni-B catalysts with Ti addition were prepared for the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH4. In the preparation of Ni-Ti-B catalysts, the chemical reduction technique was used. NiCl2 salt was used as the Ni source, where TiCl3 salt was preferred as the Ti source as the variations of the catalyst activities were determined. With the evaluation of the results, subsequent studies were carried out with the most effective Ti metal salt concentration. The effect of catalysts in different Ti/(Ni+Ti) molar ratios was examined according to the temperature, catalyst loading amount, NaBH4, and NaOH concentrations. The microstructure and elemental analysis of each catalyst were explained by SEM-EDS. After determining the highest performance Ti/(Ni+Ti) molar ratio, the calcination process was performed at different temperatures. For Ni-B catalysts, 5 wt.% NaOH and 5 wt.% NaBH4 were determined as the optimum fuel composition. Moreover, the Ti doped catalysts demonstrated longer durability and hydrogen production rate for hydrolysis of NaBH4.