Hydrogen Evolution upon Ammonia Borane Solvolysis: Comparison between the Hydrolysis and Methanolysis Reactions

Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) production is a key challenge for green carbon-free sustainable energy. Among the H2 evolution methods from H-rich materials, ammonia borane (AB) solvolysis stands as a privileged source under ambient and sub-ambient conditions given its stability, non-toxicity, and solubility in protic solvents, provided suitable and optimized nanocatalysts are used. In this paper dedicated to Prof. Avelino Corma, we comparatively review AB hydrolysis and alcoholysis (mostly methanolysis) in terms of nanocatalyst performances and discuss the advantages and inconveniences of these two AB solvolysis methods including AB regeneration.

Keywords

• ammonia borane
• hydrogen (H₂)
• hydrolysis
• methanolysis
• nanocatalyst