Ammonia borane could become a source of hydrogen for use in fuel cells thanks to a new ruthenium-based catalyst that has been developed by scientists in the US.

Stable in air and re-usable for multiple cycles, the catalyst can dehydrogenate ammonia borane at mild temperatures and more effectively than current processes, the Royal Society of Chemistry reports.

The new catalyst, which uses a ruthenium centre coupled to boron, yields around 4.5 per cent by weight of hydrogen at 70 degrees C.

It was developed by Brian Conley, Denver Guess and Travis Williams at the University of Southern California.

"When you heat it to 70 degrees C, hydrogen comes flying off, leaving a white residue that sticks to the side of the flask. You can then add more of the ammonia borane and repeat the reaction until the whole flask is full of the residue," explained Williams.

Scientists from the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have previously used ruthenium as a way to produce ammonia more efficiently.

Source:
 

New Catalyst to Extract Hydrogen from Ammonia Borane (24/08/11)

© Adfero Ltd