Preparation of different thin film catalysts by direct current magnetron sputtering for hydrogen generation.

In this study, thin films of Co, Ni, Pd, and Pt were prepared on Co 3 O 4 support material in pellet form using the direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering method for use as catalysts for hydrogen generation from NaBH 4 .Characterization of the catalysts was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to cross-sectional SEM images, catalyst thicknesses were observed in the range of approximately 115.3-495.8 nm. The particle sizes were approximately 25.0, 21.4, 33.9, and 9.5 nm for Ni-Co 3 O 4 , Co-Co 3 O 4 , Pd-Co 3 O 4 , and Pt-Co 3 O 4 catalysts, respectively. The increase in NaOH initial concentration provides an increase in the rate of hydrogen generation for Co, Ni, and Pd catalysts. A maximum hydrogen generation rate of 1653 mL/g cat .min was obtained for the Pt-Co 3 O 4 catalyst.