A NiO–Ni
foam composite carrier was prepared by the hydrothermal
method. Ruthenium metal was supported on the NiO–Ni foam by
electroplating, obtaining a highly active bush-like Ru/NiO–Ni
foam catalyst. To investigate the effect of NiO on the structure and
performance of the catalyst, a Ru/Ni foam catalyst was prepared as
a reference. The structures of the carrier and both catalysts were
characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy,
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the performances of both
catalysts were evaluated in alcoholytic hydrogen production from sodium
borohydride. On the carrier with the NiO-treated surface, the active
component Ru developed a three-dimensional bush-like structure that
enhanced the catalytic activity. Indeed, the hydrogen production from
alcoholysis of sodium borohydride was three times higher on the Ru/NiO–Ni
foam catalyst than on the Ru/Ni foam catalyst, and the highest rate
exceeded 6 L/g/min. The repeated-use stability of the Ru/NiO–Ni
catalyst (10 times) also exceeded that of Ru/Ni foam (8 times). However,
as both catalysts used the same active component (i.e., Ru), their
activation energies were almost identical.
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