Optimized Pt–Co/BN Catalysts for Efficient NaBH4 Hydrolysis

The hydrolysis of sodium borohydride is a promising method for generating hydrogen, which can be released under controlled conditions using heterogeneous catalytic systems. Despite significant advancements in catalyst development, no single material meets the requirements for mobile applications. This limitation is primarily due to the suboptimal performance of catalysts in terms of hydrogen production efficiency and stability. To enhance the catalytic performance of sodium borohydride hydrolysis, a boron oxide-coated Co–Pt/boron nitride (BN) nanocomposite material has been developed, leveraging the oxidative support–metal strong interaction. The results demonstrate that CO₂ oxidation etching of the BN facilitates the migration of boron oxide to the Co–Pt nanoparticles, forming a structurally robust coating layer. This configuration exhibits a strong synergistic effect between Co and Pt, significantly enhancing catalytic hydrogen production efficiency. Furthermore, the boron oxide overlayer effectively stabilizes the catalyst structure by preventing metal component loss and the deposition of sodium borate on the metal surface. The surface BO_x also modulates the electronic properties of the bimetallic active sites. Ultimately, the optimal 0.4%Pt–5%Co/BN catalyst achieves a high hydrogen generation rate of 8272 mL·min⁻¹·g_metal⁻¹ and turnover frequency of 668 min⁻¹ at room temperature while retaining 90.1% of its initial intrinsic activity after ten cycles.