Nanosizing Approach-A Case Study on the Thermal Decomposition of Hydrazine Borane

Hydrazine borane (HB) is a chemical hydrogen storage material with high gravimetric hydrogen density of 15.4 wt%, containing both protic and hydridic hydrogen. However, its limitation is the formation of unfavorable gaseous by-products, such as hydrazine (N₂H₄) and ammonia (NH₃), which are poisons to fuel cell catalyst, upon pyrolysis. Previous studies proved that confinement of ammonia borane (AB) greatly improved the dehydrogenation kinetics and thermodynamics. They function by reducing the particle size of AB and establishing bonds between silica functional groups and AB molecules. In current study, we employed the same strategy using MCM-41 and silica aerogel to investigate the effect of nanosizing towards the hydrogen storage properties of HB. Different loading of HB to the porous supports were investigated and optimized. The optimized loading of HB in MCM-41 and silica aerogel was 1:1 and 0.25:1, respectively. Both confined samples demonstrated great suppression of melting induced sample foaming. However, by-products formation was enhanced over dehydrogenation in an open system decomposition owing to the presence of extensive Si-O···BH₃(HB) coordination that further promote the B-N bond cleavage to release N₂H₄. The Si-OH···N(N₂H₄) hydrogen bonding may further promote N-N bond cleavage in the resulting N₂H₄, facilitating the formation of NH₃. As temperature increases, the remaining N-N-B oligomeric chains in the porous silica, which are lacking the long-range structure may further undergo intramolecular B-N or N-N cleavage to release substantial amount of N₂H₄ or NH₃. Besides open system decomposition, we also reported a closed system decomposition where complete utilization of the N-H from the released N₂H₄ and NH₃ in the secondary reaction can be achieved, releasing mainly hydrogen upon being heated up to high temperatures. Nanosizing of HB particles via PMMA encapsulation was also attempted. Despite the ester functional group that may favor multiple coordination with HB molecules, these interactions did not impart significant change towards the decomposition of HB selectively towards dehydrogenation.

Ex situ synthesis and characterization of a polymer-carbon nanotube-based hybrid nanocatalyst with one of the highest catalytic activities and stabilities for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of hydrazine-borane at room temperature conditions

In this study, a facile ex situ synthesis of a polyaniline-multiwalled carbon nanotube-based Pt nanocatalyst (Pt@PANI-MWCNT) with an average particle size of 3.18 ± 0.12 nm was performed successfully. The obtained Pt@PANI-MWCNT nanocatalysts were isolated from the solution medium by centrifugation and then were characterized by spectroscopy and microscopy methods. The characterization studies showed that the prepared Pt nanoparticles were formed on PANI-MWCNT surface, and H₂ evolution was obtained by the dehydrogenation of hydrazine-borane in water as a model reaction under room temperature conditions, with the help of the synthesized nanocatalyst. It was observed that the Pt@PANI-MWCNT nanocatalyst had a very high catalytic activity for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of hydrazine-borane and generated 2.95 mol of H₂ for 1 mol of hydrazine-borane. The initial turn-over frequency (TOF_initial) value of the prepared nanocatalyst for the model reaction at room temperature conditions was found to be 168.5 min^-1. The calculations for the kinetics of the hydrolytic dehydrogenation reaction showed that the hydrazine-borane catalytic reaction kinetics are first order, with respect to the catalyst concentration; several activation parameters, such as entropy (ΔS^#, _app = -72.11 ± 3 J/mol K), enthalpy (ΔH^#, _app = 43.5 ± 2 kJ/mol) and activation energy (E_a,app = 45.5 ± 2 kJ/mol), of the catalytic reaction with the Pt@PANI-MWCNT nanocatalyst were calculated using these kinetic data.

Hydrogen bonds and other interactions as a response to protect doublet/octet electron structure

MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations were performed for complexes linked by hydrogen bonds. Three types of proton donating species were taken into account: H₂O, CCl₃H, and H₃O⁺. These calculations are supported by the natural bond orbital (NBO) method and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) approach. Numerous correlations between parameters of H-bonded systems were found. The most important are those which show the response of the system on the H-bond formation; for example, the increase of polarization of the A-H bond correlates with the strength of the hydrogen bond. Similar relationships were found for the σ-hole bonds while the π-hole bonds do not follow the trends known for the hydrogen bonds. Graphical abstract Hydrogen bonds and other interactions as a response to protect doublet/octet electron structureᅟ.

Two faces of triel bonds in boron trihalide complexes

The N⋅⋅⋅B triel bonds in complexes of boron trihalides, BX₃ (X = F, Cl, Br, and I), with species acting as Lewis bases through the nitrogen center, NH₃ , N₂ , and HCN, are analyzed theoretically (MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations). It is confirmed that stronger Lewis acid properties of the boron center are observed for the BCl₃ moiety than for the BF₃ one in complexes with the strong Lewis base (NH₃ ); while the opposite order is observed for complexes with the weak Lewis base (N₂ ). The BX₃ NCH complexes (for X = Cl, Br, and I) are characterized by two tautomeric forms and by two corresponding N⋅⋅⋅B distances, the shorter one possesses characteristics of the covalent bond. In a case of the BF₃ NCH complex one energetic minimum is observed. Ab initio calculations are supported by an analysis of molecular electrostatic potentials (EPs) and electron density distributions. The quantum theory of 'atoms in molecules' and the decomposition of the energy of interaction are applied. The aforementioned acidity orders as well as the existence of two tautomers for some of complexes result partly from the electrostatic interactions' balance; the EP distribution is different for the BF₃ species than for the other BX₃ species where X = Cl, Br, and I. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hydrogen bonds, and σ-hole and π-hole bonds – mechanisms protecting doublet and octet electron structures

For various interactions electron charge shifts try to protect the former doublet or octet electronic structure of the Lewis acid centre.

Sodium hydrazinidoborane: a chemical hydrogen-storage material

Herein, we present the successful synthesis and full characterization (by (11) B magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction) of sodium hydrazinidoborane (NaN2 H3 BH3 , with a hydrogen content of 8.85 wt %), a new material for chemical hydrogen storage. Using lab-prepared pure hydrazine borane (N2 H4 BH3 ) and commercial sodium hydride as precursors, sodium hydrazinidoborane was synthesized by ball-milling at low temperature (-30 °C) under an argon atmosphere. Its thermal stability was assessed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that under heating sodium hydrazinidoborane starts to liberate hydrogen below 60 °C. Within the range of 60-150 °C, the overall mass loss is as high as 7.6 wt %. Relative to the parent N2 H4 BH3 , sodium hydrazinidoborane shows improved dehydrogenation properties, further confirmed by dehydrogenation experiments under prolonged heating at constant temperatures of 80, 90, 95, 100, and 110 °C. Hence, sodium hydrazinidoborane appears to be more suitable for chemical hydrogen storage than N2 H4 BH3 .

Unexpected acidity enhancement triggered by AlH3 association to phosphines

The complexes formed by the interaction between a series of phosphines R-PH(2) (R = H, CH(3), c-C(3)H(5), C(6)H(5)) and AlH(3) have been investigated through the use of high-level G4 ab initio calculations. These very stable complexes behave as much stronger acids than the isolated phosphines. This dramatic acidity enhancement, which can be as high as 174 kJ mol(-1), results from a much greater stabilization of the anionic deprotonated species with respect to the neutral one, upon AlH(3) association. This effect depends quantitatively on the nature of the substituent R and is smaller for R = C(6)H(5) because of the conjugation of the P lone pair with the aromatic system. More unexpectedly, however, the phosphine-alane complexes, RPH(2):AlH(3), are more acidic than the corresponding phosphine-borane RPH(2):BH(3) analogues. This unexpected result is due to the enhanced stability of the anionic deprotonated species for complexes involving AlH(3), because the delocalization of the newly created P lone pair with the P-Al bonding density is more favorable when the Lewis acid is aluminum trihydride than when it is borane.

Production of hydrogen from reactions of methane with boranes

The reactions of methane with different hydrides have been investigated using quantum chemical calculations (MP2 and CCSD(T) methods with the aug-cc-pVnZ one-electron functions extrapolated to the basis set limits). The hydrides of the elements of the second and third row, and also GaH(3), with an electronegativity smaller than the value of hydrogen (LiH, Li(2)H(2), BeH(2), NaH, MgH(2), BH(3), AlH(3), B(2)H(6), Al(2)H(6), SiH(4), PH(4) and GaH(3)) have been considered. Reactions of CH(4) with either BH(3) or LiH are characterized by the lowest energy barriers. Reactions using the known methylated derivatives of boranes with methane follow a similar mechanism. Calculated results strongly suggest the possible use of boranes as reagents in the reactions with methane to produce molecular hydrogen.