Improving green hydrogen production: Microwave-assisted synthesis of diverse Ni-based nanocatalysts on Al2O3 for thermochemical water splitting

Abstract

This study investigated the role of microwave-assisted synthesis in enhancing green hydrogen (H₂) production via thermochemical water splitting (TWS) using Ni-based nanocatalysts on an Al₂O₃ support. H₂-TPR analysis showed that the microwave-assisted synthesized (MW) catalysts exhibited stronger peaks at lower temperatures, indicating improved Ni dispersion on the Al₂O₃ support. Moreover, higher H₂-uptake values were observed with increasing Ni concentration for both synthesis methods, indicating the presence of more accessible reducible sites crucial for catalytic activity. The MW-prepared catalysts displayed smaller particle sizes, narrower pore size distributions, and higher hydrogen adsorption capacities than those synthesized via impregnation. Additionally, they demonstrated superior catalytic activity and efficiency for hydrogen generation, with yields (∼55.42 %). Overall, our research underscores the potential of microwave-assisted synthesis as a promising method to develop efficient catalysts for hydrogen production applications.