(2023) International Journal of Hydrogen Energy_Boosting borohydride hydrolysis for H₂ generation by MOF-templated void-engineered shaggy cobalt oxide: Abundant oxygen vacancy-mediated enhancement

Tuan D.D., Van H.T., Thai Ha D.T., Wen J.-C., Kwon E., Ghotekar S., Thanh B.X., Lee J., Tsang Y.F., Lin K.-Y.A.

(Elsevier Ltd) International Journal of Hydrogen Energy ISSN: 3603199 Vol. Issue. Article No. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.08.059

Designing an advantageous catalyst for enhancing the release of hydrogen (H₂) from NaBH₄ hydrolysis is still desirable. Herein, a void-engineered shaggy cobalt oxide (VSCO) is constructed via facile carving and calcination using the cuboid cobalt-based metal organic framework (Co-MOF) as a template. The as-prepared VSCO shows unique structural properties, such as large internal void, high specific surface area, and abundant oxygen vacancy, enabling VSCO to boost H₂ production from NaBH₄ hydrolysis. VSCO also exhibits an activation energy (Ea) of 28.9 kJ mol⁻¹, which is much lower than that of commercial Co₃O₄ NP (62.9 kJ mol⁻¹) and most of recent reported noble metals. VSCO also retains its outstanding catalytic activity over multiple cycles. This work sheds a light into the new approach of constructing metal oxide material with the void structure and abundant oxygen vacancies for catalyzing the hydrolysis of NaBH₄. © 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC