Development of a nanocatalyst for catalyzing hydrogen production from the solvolysis of the borane-morpholine complex

Although the reducing property of borane-morpholine (BM) is frequently utilized, there are few studies on its use as a chemical hydrogen storage material. In this thesis study, a catalytic material capable of producing hydrogen through the solvolysis reactions (hydrolysis and methanolysis) of BM was prepared and characterized as an efficient and cost-effective hydrogen storage material. For this purpose, Pd (0) nanoclusters supported on nano-CeO₂ (Pd@nano-CeO₂) were prepared ex-situ, and their catalytic performances in hydrogen production from the hydrolysis and methanolysis of MB were investigated. The synthesized Pd@nano-CeO₂ catalyst was characterized using advanced analytical and spectroscopic techniques such as FT-IR, ICP-OES, XRD, XPS, TEM, and TEM/EDX. The initial TOF values calculated for the hydrolysis and methanolysis reactions of the nanocatalyst were 11 min-1 (659 h-1) and 10.56 min-1 (633.9 h-1), respectively. The reusability performance of Pd (0) nanoclusters in hydrogen production via the hydrolysis and methanolysis of BM was also investigated, and the nanocatalyst was found to be highly stable. Finally, catalytic reactions were carried out at different temperatures, and activation parameters for the catalytic processes (Ea: Activation Energy; ΔH#: Activation Enthalpy; ΔS#: Activation Entropy) were individually calculated using the relevant equations.