Ultrasmall Ru nanoparticles supported on chitin nanofibers for hydrogen production from NaBH4 hydrolysis

In this work,a series of chitin-supported Ru catalysts,composed of ultrasmall Ru nanoparticles supported on the chitin nanofibers,with different Ru content from 0.07 wt%to 0.93 wt%,are fabricated.Results from catalyzed NaBH4 hydrolysis experiments indicate that the catalytic activity of the fabricated chitin-supported Ru catalysts increases gradually with the decreasing of Ru content.The rate of hydrogen generation from NaBH4 hydrolysis catalyzed by the catalyst with 0.07 wt%Ru content is as high as 55.29 L min 1 gRu-1 at 30℃,and this reaction exhibits activation energy of 39.16 kJ/mol.The augment of NaBH4 dosage in the experiments does not weaken the catalytic activity.In addition,the fabricated chitin-supported Ru catalysts show excellent durability in NaBH4 hydrolysis,with only 9.2%activity loss after used for 20 cycles.With excellent catalytic activity and durability,the as-obtained Ru catalysts provide a promising choice for promoting hydrogen production from NaBH4 hydrolysis.