Green production of hydrogen by hydrolysis of graphene-modified aluminum through infrared light irradiation

Promoting the Al-water reaction in a neutral condition without adding any sacrificial agents and generating no poisonous byproduct is always the aim of green production of hydrogen. In this study, we fabricated the reduced graphene oxide wrapped aluminum nanoparticles (Al@rGO) through an ultrasonic atomization process. And a high-efficiency hydrogen production is realized in pure water under the infrared light irradiation. Firstly, the graphene wrapping keeps the activity of aluminum nanoparticles by preventing the formation of dense passivation films on the surface of Al and accelerating the ions migration between Al and water. Secondly, the water temperature is enhanced due to the infrared light absorption of graphene, which contributes to the improved hydrogen generation as well. Moreover, the residual byproduct is nature-friendly and recyclable for toxic ion absorption applications. Our results provide an important technique towards the large scale green production of hydrogen by Al@rGO.