Developing cheap metal nanocatalysts with controllable catalytic activity is one of the critical challenges for improving hydrogen storage in magnesium (Mg). Here, it is shown that the activity of graphene-anchored Co-Ni nanocatalysts can be regulated effectively by tuning their composition and morphology, which results in significantly improved hydrogen storage in Mg. The catalytic activity of supported Co-Ni nanocatalysts is demonstrated to be highly dependent on their morphology and composition. When Ni was partly substituted by Co, the shape of these nanocatalysts was changed from spherical to plate-like, thus corresponding to a decrease in activity. These alterations intrinsically result in enhanced hydrogen storage properties of MgH2, i.e., not only does it exhibit a decreased peak desorption temperature but also a positive change in the initial activation for sorption. The results obtained provide a deep understanding of the tuning of catalytic activity via composition and morphology and further provide insights into improving hydrogen storage in Mg-based materials.
Keywords: MgH2; catalysis; composition; hydrogen storage; morphology.
Copyright © 2020 Ding, Ding, Song, Xiang, Li and Zhang.