New Insights into Catalytic Hydrolysis Kinetics of Sodium Borohydride from Michaelis−Menten Model

Catalytic hydrolysis kinetics is a subject of great interest in the study of sodium borohydride (NaBH4)-based hydrogen generation system. In the present paper, we report our coupled experimental/model analysis studies on the catalytic hydrolysis kinetics of NaBH4 with the presence of Co−B catalyst. The effects of NaBH4 concentration and Co−B catalyst amount on the hydrolysis kinetics of NaBH4 were experimentally examined and analyzed in terms of the Michaelis−Menten model. It was found that the catalytic hydrolysis reaction of NaBH4 follows first-order kinetics at low NaBH4 concentration and zero-order kinetics at high NaBH4 concentration. The hydrolysis kinetics is first-order with respect to catalyst amount. These findings provide valuable insights into the catalytic hydrolysis kinetics of NaBH4.