In the recent years, polyborate anions
have been considered as
possible candidates for energy. In aqueous solutions, they have been
studied as either hydrogen carriers or anodic fuels. In the solid
state (as an alkali salt), they have been seen as solid electrolytes.
Herein, we focus on sodium 1-oxa-
nido
-dodecaborate
NaB
11
H
12
O, a novel possible candidate for the
aforementioned applications. The compound is soluble in water, and
its stability depends on pH: under acidic conditions, it readily hydrolyzes
while liberating hydrogen, and under alkaline conditions, it is stable,
which is a feature searched for an anodic fuel. Over bulk platinum,
gold, or silver electrode, oxidation takes place. The best performance
has been noticed for the silver electrode. In the solid state, NaB
11
H
12
O shows Na
+
conductivity at a high
temperature of up to 150 °C. All of these properties are presented
in detail, and hereafter they are discussed while giving indications
of what have to be developed to open up more realistic prospectives
for NaB
11
H
12
O in energy.