Organo-Nanocups Assist the Formation of Ultra-Small Palladium Nanoparticle Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Ultra-small palladium nanoparticles were synthesized and applied as catalysts for a hydrogen evolution reaction. The palladium metal precursor was produced via beta-cyclodextrin as organo-nanocup (ONC) capping agent to produce ultra-small nanoparticles used in this study. The produced ~3 nm nanoparticle catalyst was then characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to confirm the successful synthesis of ~3 nm palladium nanoparticles. The nanoparticles’ catalytic ability was explored via the hydrolysis reaction of sodium borohydride. The palladium nanoparticle catalyst performed best at 303 K at a pH of 7 with 925 μmol of sodium borohydride having an H2 generation rate of 1.431 mL min−1 mLcat−1. The activation energy of the palladium catalyst was calculated to be 58.9 kJ/mol.

Screening Study of Different Carbon-Based Materials for Hydrogen Storage

“…5,6 One method of storing hydrogen this way is having other materials absorb the gas within their chemical structure through a process known as physisorption. 7 Hydrogen storage materials such as metal borohydrides have been applied for generating hydrogen with the support of various catalysts, [8][9][10][11] however, a major limitation of using the metal borohydride materials for hydrogen storage lies in their nonrecyclability. Other hydrogen storage materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), activated carbon, and mesoporous carbon have attracted many research studies for their reusability and their high hydrogen storage capacity at 77 K and high pressure.…”