Electromagnetic-field-assisted synthesis of Ni foam film-supported CoCu alloy microspheres composed of nanosheets: A high performance catalyst for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane

The development of low-cost catalysts with high activity and stability for the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane for hydrogen production becomes important in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. In this communication, an electromagnetic-field-assisted deposition process was adopted to prepare Ni foam supported CoCu alloy microspheres composed of nanosheets (CoCu/Ni). In the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane, the initial rate of hydrogen production for the as-prepared CoCu/Ni catalyst can reach 30.5 mol H2 min−1 molcat−1. Moreover, the CoCu/Ni catalyst maintained its activity after 10 consecutive catalytic cycles, demonstrating its high stability and good reusability.