Amorphous NiP/rGO for Hydrogen Generation from Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane

In this study, high-dispersed amorphous phosphated nickel (NiP) nanoparticles supported on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were successfully prepared through a simple liquid-phase reduction and phosphination strategy. The characterization results showed that rGO not only effectively prevented the agglomeration of NiP nanoparticles as a carrier, but also optimized the electronic structure of the catalyst through the electronic interaction between them. In the ammonia borane hydrolysis reaction, this amorphous NiP/rGO catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability, with an initial turnover frequency (TOF) of 21.93 min−1 and a low apparent activation energy (Ea) of 17.86 kJ·mol−1. Moreover, the cyclic stability test confirmed that the NiP/rGO catalyst remains excellent catalytic performance after 5 consecutive reaction cycles. This study provides a new idea for designing high-performance amorphous metal phosphide/carbon material composite catalysts, and shows good application prospects in the field of chemical hydrogen storage materials.