Ruthenium-Imine catalyzed KBH₄ hydrolysis as an efficient hydrogen production system

The present study focused on the increasing of hydrogen evolution through hydrolysis of potassium borohydride in the presence of Ruthenium complex catalyst. It is the first time to use the Ru-Imine complex catalyst in KBH₄ hydrolysis reaction to hydrogen evolution. The new Ru complex was synthesized from the tetradentate Imine ligand namely 4,4′-methylenebis (2,6-diethyl)aniline-3,5-di-tert-butylsalisylaldimine and Ru salt under the inert atmosphere. Ru-Imine complex was fully characterized by Elemental Analysis, Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, X-Ray Diffraction Analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller Surface Area Analysis and Transmission Electron Microscopy. By the synthesized Ru-Imine complex catalyst, the potassium borohydride hydrolysis reaction resulted in a lower energy barrier with 20,826 kJ/mol activation energy (Ea) for nth order kinetic model and 18,045 kJ/mol for Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) kinetic model. According to the results Ru-complex was highly active and stable catalyst in KBH₄ hydrolysis reaction to hydrogen evolution with 45,466 mL H₂/g_cat.min and 76,815 mL H2/g_cat.min hydrogen generation rates at 30 °C and 50 °C respectively. Moreover Ru-Imine complex catalyst displayed 100% stability even at fifth recycle.