Synthesis of Trimetallic Nanoparticle (NiCoPd)-Supported Carbon Nanofibers as a Catalyst for NaBH4 Hydrolysis

Ahmed Abutaleb; Ibrahim M Maafa; Nasser Zouli; Ayman Yousef; M M El-Halwany

doi:10.3390/membranes13090783

Synthesis of Trimetallic Nanoparticle (NiCoPd)-Supported Carbon Nanofibers as a Catalyst for NaBH₄ Hydrolysis

Membranes (Basel). 2023 Sep 7;13(9):783. doi: 10.3390/membranes13090783.

Authors

Ahmed Abutaleb¹, Ibrahim M Maafa¹, Nasser Zouli¹, Ayman Yousef^{1

2}, M M El-Halwany³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Jazan University, Jazan 11451, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Mathematics and Physics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Mataria, Helwan University, Cairo 11718, Egypt.
³ Department of Mathematics and Physics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, El-Mansoura 35516, Egypt.

Abstract

The generation of H₂ via the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) has promise as a practical and secure approach to produce H₂, a secure and environmentally friendly energy source for the foreseeable future. In this study, distinctive trimetallic NiCoPd nanoparticle-supported carbon nanofibers (NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs) is synthesized via sol-gel and electrospinning approaches. The fabricated trimetallic catalysts show an excellent catalytic performance for the generation of H₂ from the hydrolysis of SBH. Standard physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs. The results show that NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs is formed, with an average particle size of about 21 nm. When compared to NiCo bimetallic NP @CNFS, all NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs formulations demonstrated greater catalytic activates for the hydrolysis of SBH. The improved catalytic activity may be due in the majority to the synergistic interaction between the three metals in the trimetallic architecture. Furthermore, the activation energy for the catalytic hydrolysis of SBH by the NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs was determined to be 16.30 kJ mol^-1. The kinetics studies show that the reaction is of a first order with respect to the catalyst loading amount and a half order with respect to the SBH concentration [SBH].

Keywords: catalytic nanofiber; chemical reaction engineering; electrospinning; hydrogen; sodium borohydride; sol-gel; trimetallic.

Grants and funding

The author extends his appreciation to the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through the project number ISP22-31.