Ternary Ni–Co–P nanoparticles as noble-metal-free catalysts to boost the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane†

The development of high-efficiency and low-cost catalysts for hydrogen release from chemical hydrogen-storage materials is essential for the hydrogen-economy paradigm. Herein, we report a facile and controllable method to fabricate a series of Co-doped nickel phosphides and their corresponding nanohybrids with graphene oxide (GO) as highly efficient, robust and noble-metal-free catalysts for ammonia borane hydrolysis. The incorporation of Co into Ni2P effectively optimizes the electronic structures of Ni2!xCoxP catalysts to enhance their interaction with AB and simultaneously facilitate the hydroxyl activation of AB, resulting in the reduction of the reaction energy barrier and thus substantial improvement of the catalytic rate.