Fe3O4@SA MNCs Synthesis, Characterization, and First-time Use in Hydrogen Production by NaBH4 Hydrolysis

Abstract

Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier that will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to reducing the harmful effects on the environment resulting from using fossil fuels. Hydrogen is produced by the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4), one of the chemical hydrides, using a catalyst. In this study, Fe3O4@Salicylic acid magnetic nano-catalyst (Fe3O4@SA MNCs) was synthesized using the co-precipitation technique. The structural, physical, and chemical properties of the produced Fe3O4@SA MNCs were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, VSM, SEM, and SEM-EDX methods. At room temperature, the effect on hydrogen production performance was examined in the amounts of Fe3O4@SA MNCs (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg), NaOH (0, 10, 20, and 25 mg), and NaBH4 (25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg). The highest hydrogen generation rates (HGR) were obtained using 10 mg Fe3O4@SA MNCs, 150 mg NaBH4, and 0 mg NaOH at room temperature. The obtained HGR value was calculated as 400 mL gcat-1.min-1. Fe3O4@SA MNCs were used for hydrogen production for the first time in this study. This study showed that Fe3O4@SA MNCs exhibit catalytic properties and are a promising, efficient catalyst in hydrogen production from NaBH4.