Abstract: Ammonia borane (AB) is a promising chemical hydrogen storage material with high hydrogen storage density (19.6%), which can release three molar equivalents of hydrogen through catalytic hydrolysis at room temperature. However, AB releases hydrogen slowly in water, it is necessary to develop highly active metal nanocatalysts to accelerate the process of hydrolysis. This article provides an overview of the synthesis and characterization methods of ammonia borane, the mechanism of hydrolysis and catalytic hydrogen production using the unique dihydrogen key in the ammonia borane structure, and the various factors that affect the hydrogen release performance of AB.