Solid-state NaBH₄ composites for hydrogen generation: Catalytic activity of nickel and cobalt catalysts

Hydrogen generation from tablets of sodium borohydride with chlorides of nickel and cobalt was studied. The nickel catalysts were shown to be less active in the borohydride hydrolysis than the cobalt catalysts. One of the reasons for the lower activity of the nickel catalyst was the presence of hydrogen on its surface, which hampered the adsorption of reactants. The addition of cobalt to the nickel catalyst increases the hydrogen generation rate. This is due to the introduction of active metal with low adsorption capacity for hydrogen and the higher dispersion of the active component.