Na‐ZSM‐5 Zeolite Nanocrystals Supported Nickel Nanoparticles for Efficient Hydrogen Production from Ammonia Decomposition

Abstract Ammonia has been increasingly recognised as an effective hydrogen carrier to produce clean hydrogen free of CO x emissions. This study reports the development of Ni‐based catalysts to efficiently crack ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen. A series of catalysts with different Ni loadings supported on Na‐ZSM‐5 zeolite nanocrystals were prepared with the assistance of 1,10‐phenanthroline ligand. The coordination of Ni and the ligand led to the formation of uniform Ni nanoparticles with a mean size of ∼2.3 nm. These small Ni nanoparticles of the catalyst enabled a high activity in ammonia decomposition evaluated using a fixed‐bed reactor. Using the zeolite support in its pristine sodium form provided the catalyst with desired basicity. This promotes a strong metal‐support interaction, leading the catalyst to have high stability. The catalyst with 5 wt% Ni loading exhibited a high TOF of 3.51 s −1 with no performance degradation at 650 °C for 50 h.