Highly efficient and recyclable Co/NiMoO₄ catalyst for hydrogen production via sodium borohydride hydrolysis

Sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), a chemical storage material, is an efficient source for safe and effective hydrogen (H₂) storage. In this paper, NiMoO₄ nanorods-supported Co nanoparticles (Co/NiMoO₄) were successfully synthesized using the impregnation-reduction method, and their characterization was carried out using advanced analytical tools such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N₂-adsorption–desorption. In the hydrolysis of NaBH₄, the Co/NiMoO₄ catalyst achieved an H₂ production rate (HGR) of 8572.97 mLg_cat^–1 min^–1 and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 1544.40 molH₂mol_Co^–1 h^–1. Moreover, the Co/NiMoO₄ catalyst exhibited significant stability, retaining 84.98% of its initial HGR efficiency and achieving a 94.90% conversion of NaBH₄ to H₂ after 5 catalytic cycles.