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Ultrahigh Catalytic Activity of l ‐Proline‐Functionalized Rh Nanoparticles for Methanolysis of Ammonia Borane
Author(s) -
Luo Wenxiu,
Cheng Wei,
Hu Min,
Wang Qi,
Cheng Xia,
Zhang Yun,
Wang Yi,
Gao Daojiang,
Bi Jian,
Fan Guangyin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201802157
Subject(s) - ammonia borane , rhodium , catalysis , borane , chemistry , nanoparticle , metal , ammonia , combinatorial chemistry , organic chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , hydrogen production
The synthesis of ultrafine and well‐distributed rhodium nanoparticles (NPs) with high efficiency toward methanolysis of ammonia borane (AB) is crucially important but challenging. A facile approach has been developed for synthesizing ultrafine and uniform Rh NPs deposited on carbon by using the small soluble organic molecule (SOM) of l ‐proline (PRO) as capping agent (Rh‐PRO/C). The enrichment of N,O‐coordination sites for the metal precursor by using PRO was found to be the key to the synthesis Rh‐PRO/C. The as‐prepared Rh‐PRO/C showed high catalytic activity for ammonia borane methanolysis with the highest total turnover frequency (TOF) of 1035 molH2 (mol Rh min) −1 under basic conditions, which was three times higher than that of the state‐of‐the‐art Rh‐based catalysts. The excellent catalytic performance of Rh‐PRO/C was ascribed to the well‐dispersed Rh NPs and the PRO‐functionalized metal surface, which can provide more active sites for the reaction. The merit of size‐controlled synthesis combined with metal NP surface modification by SOMs is likely to be beneficial in various catalytic fields.