(Digital Presentation) Reusability of Copper Nanoparticle-Graphene Nanocomposite Catalysts for Hydrogen Generation
Authors: Abdel-Fattah Tarek M , Biehler Erik , Quach Qui 
Published: December 2024

The hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is a well-studied reaction for generating hydrogen gas to be used as a clean fuel source. The white crystalline powder is stable at room temperature and contains 10.8% hydrogen by weight making it a prime candidate for a method of storing hydrogen and a hydrogen feedstock material for hydrogen generation. The hydrolysis reaction of this material occurs readily without additional energy inputs such as temperature, light, electricity, etc. Thus, many studies have explored different catalysts to optimize this hydrolysis reaction with varying levels of success [1-19]. In this study, we explored a novel catalyst comprised of copper nanoparticles supported on a graphene like material support structure to mitigate nanoparticle agglomeration [1]. This material was tested in five consecutive catalytic trials producing 26.7 mL, 21.0 mL, 25.0 mL, 28.8 mL, and 34.0 mL of hydrogen respectively. It appeared that after an initial drop, the catalyst began producing increasing amounts of hydrogen per trial, possibly indicating that the surface of the nanoparticles was becoming more catalytically active with each usage [1]. The ability of this catalyst to be used multiple times without a loss of catalytic performance, and the availability of copper, makes this a very cost-effective method of producing hydrogen gas for a future hydrogen economy.

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