A Self-Contained Regeneration Scheme for Spent Ammonia Borane Based on the Catalytic Hydrodechlorination of BC13

摘要

More than a decade ago, following the great interest shown by the automotive industry in hydrogen fuel-cell propelled vehicles, a quest for chemical-based hydrogen-storage and hydrogen-source systems exceeding the capacity of classical metal hydrides and complex metal hydrides began. As a compound with one of the highest hydrogen contents, ammonia borane (AB) was quickly identified as a promising candidate, especially because of its benign hydrogen-release temperatures starting at 95亱C. The hydrogen release is exothermic, which explains why direct re-hydrogenation of spent AB is impossible. This low dehydrogenation temperature and the exothermicity both result from the simultaneous presence of hydridic and protic hydrogen in the AB molecule.