Harvesting Clean Energy Through H2 Production Using Cobalt-Boride-Based Nanocatalyst

Increase in the energy requirement and emission of greenhouse gases have been a growing concern. Hydrogen is recognized as a clean fuel and a promising solution for energy storage. At present, hydrogen required for fuel cell (FC) is mostly produced at industrial scales using the steam reforming of natural gas. These industries possibly leave CO and CO2 into the atmosphere, which are the major known reasons for the devastating climate changes witnessed today. Moreover, improper separation of these carbon contaminants from H2, especially CO (even at ppm level), affects the performance of FC by catalyst poisoning. “Hydrolysis of chemical hydrides” and “electrochemical water splitting,” through renewable energy sources, are considered as the cleanest and simplest techniques to produce FC grade H2 for onboard and off-board applications, respectively. Herein, the role of low-cost cobalt-boride (Co-B)-based nanocatalysts for both these applications is summarized.