Preparation of Ni_0.6Cu_0.4O/NC catalyst and its catalytic performance for hydrogen production from hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃, AB) is an ideal feedstock with high hydrogen storage capacity. In this paper, nitrogen-containing carbon material (Ni_0.6Cu_0.4O/NC) catalyst was prepared by high-temperature carbonization of Ni/Cu-ZIF precursor under nitrogen atmosphere. The microstructure as well as the composition of the as-prepared catalyst were characterized. In addition, the catalytic performance of the catalyst were tested under reaction conditions. The results showed that the activation energy (E_a) for hydrolysis of AB over Ni_0.6Cu_0.4O/NC catalyst was 56.8 kJ/mol with TOF value as high as 1572.2 h⁻¹. The hydrogen production could be approximated as a zero-order reaction with respect to the concentration of AB, and a one-order reaction with respect to the amount of catalyst. The catalyst still maintained good activity after ten cycles, indicating the good stability.