Development of catalysts for hydrogen generation from hydride compounds

Catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH(4) and NH(3)BH(3) has been studied. It was shown that the nature of the support and the active component of the catalyst affect the H(2) gene ration rate. Despite similar sizes of rhodium particles formed on the surface of different supports (gamma-Al(2)O(3), TiO(2), carbon), their reactivity is different. Rh/TiO(2) with low rhodium concentration (1 wt.%) is the most active catalyst both in the hydrolysis of NaBH4 and NH3BH3. The obtained results Show that the rhodium chloride interaction with titania determines the reactivity of rhodium particles formed under action of NaBH(4) medium. TEM, DRS UV-vis and XPS were used to characterize the catalysts. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.