Structured and Nanoparticle Assembled Co−B Thin Films Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition: A Very Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

Amorphous Co−B-based catalyst powder, produced by chemical reduction of cobalt salts, was used as the target material for Co−B thin film catalyst preparation through pulsed laser deposition (PLD). A comparative kinetic analysis of the sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis by using Co−B catalyst added to the hydride solution as powder or as thin film was carried out. Both forms of catalyst (powder and film) were heat-treated at 623 K for 2 h under various atmospheric conditions (in vacuum or by using Ar, H2, and O2 gases) in order to study their effects on H2 generation rate. Surface morphology of the catalyst was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), while compositional and bond formation analysis were carried out using X-photoelectron (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), respectively. Structural characterization of catalysts was performed using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. It was observed that nanoparticles produced during lase...

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