Revolutionary carbon quantum dot supported-Co catalyst for record-breaking hydrogen production rate

In this study, we introduce a groundbreaking approach in the field of hydrogen production by synthesizing and characterizing a carbon quantum dot supported-Co (Co-B_CQDs) catalyst. Our results demonstrate that this state-of-the-art catalyst exhibits exceptional performance in the hydrolysis of KBH₄, resulting in a record-breaking hydrogen production rate of 23,019.97 mL*gcat⁻¹*min⁻¹ and a remarkably low activation energy of 19.36 kJ/mol. This is the first time that this type of catalyst has been used to achieve such outstanding results. The study highlights the remarkable potential of carbon quantum dots as a support material for dispersing metal catalysts, which opens up new avenues for research in the field of hydrogen production. The synthesized catalyst was extensively characterized using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet and visible light (UV–Vis), photoluminescence (PL), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) measurements, which further confirmed its superior performance.