Coronavirus-like Core-Shell-Structured Co@C for Hydrogen Evolution via Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride

Shuyi Su; Kailei Chen; Xu Yang; Dai Dang

doi:10.3390/molecules28031440

Coronavirus-like Core-Shell-Structured Co@C for Hydrogen Evolution via Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride

Molecules. 2023 Feb 2;28(3):1440. doi: 10.3390/molecules28031440.

Authors

Shuyi Su¹, Kailei Chen^{1

2}, Xu Yang^{1

2}, Dai Dang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² Jieyang Branch of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Laboratory (Rongjiang Laboratory), Jieyang 515200, China.

Abstract

Constructing a reliable and robust cobalt-based catalyst for hydrogen evolution via hydrolysis of sodium borohydride is appealing but challenging due to the deactivation caused by the metal leaching and re-oxidization of metallic cobalt. A unique core-shell-structured coronavirus-like Co@C microsphere was prepared via pyrolysis of Co-MOF. This special Co@C had a microporous carbon coating to retain the reduced state of cobalt and resist the metal leaching. Furthermore, several nano-bumps grown discretely on the surface afforded enriched active centers. Applied in the pyrolysis of NaBH₄, the Co@C-650, carbonized at 650 °C, exhibited the best activity and reliable recyclability. This comparable performance is ascribed to the increased metallic active sites and robust stability.

Keywords: cobalt catalysts; core–shell; hydrogen evolution; metal–organic-framework; sodium borohydride.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2021GXNSFAA075032), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources biorefinery (No. 2021GDKLPRB10), and the Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology of Guangdong Province.