Graphene supported Pt–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles for efficient hydrogen generation from KBH4/NH3BH3 hydrolysis

Developing highly efficient and stable supported bimetallic nanoparticles catalysts via a facile strategy is one of the most admirable methods for sustainable hydrogen production from borohydride hydrolysis. Herein, we developed a facile technology for rapidly and straightforwardly manufacturing Pt–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) supported by partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) with excellent catalytic activity and outstanding durability for hydrogen production from KBH4 and NH3BH3 alkaline solution. The uniformly dispersed Pt40–Ni60 BNPs with a statistical size of around 2.6 nm exhibited a surprising catalytic activity of 23,460 mol-H2·h−1·mol-Pt−1 at 308 K, moreover, whose activity was high up to 80% of the first time even after 30 runs, demonstrating an outstanding stability. The apparent activation energy for dehydrogenation of KBH4 and NH3BH3 were respectively about 27.8 and 33.6 kJ/mol for the prepared Pt40–Ni60/prGO catalyst. The extraordinary catalytic activity of the Pt40–Ni60/prGO catalyst owing to the strong charge transfer effect between Pt–Ni BNPs and graphene.