US 12312241 B1Patent grantUnited States

Zinc-Vanadium Catalyst for On-Demand Hydrogen

Official patent title

Zinc-vanadium catalyst for hydrogen generation

Arabic title: محفز من الزنك-الفاناديوم لتوليد الهيدروجين

Invention

Problem

NaBH4 releases hydrogen slowly by self-hydrolysis, while many active catalysts use noble metals that face cost, availability, separation, or material-safety constraints.

Why it matters

A crystalline heterogeneous catalyst operating near room temperature could support controlled chemical-hydride hydrogen release, subject to safe gas handling and complete lifecycle evaluation.

Approach

The method hydrolyzes NaBH4 in water using crystalline ammonium-zinc decavanadate hexadecahydrate, captures the evolved H2, and provides an aqueous route for forming the catalyst.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-generator developers, catalyst producers, chemical-hydride researchers, fuel-cell laboratories, and advanced inorganic-materials companies.

Potential value

The patent combines a structurally defined zinc–vanadium crystal catalyst, a synthesis route, NaBH4 concentration and catalyst-ratio windows, and reported hydrogen-generation rates under moderate temperatures.

Background

Sodium borohydride stores chemically bound hydrogen and releases four H2 molecules per hydrolysis reaction with water, but uncatalyzed hydrolysis is slow. Heterogeneous catalysts can be separated from the sodium-metaborate coproduct, while many established active catalysts rely on Pt, Ru, or Pd. The patent instead uses ammonium-zinc decavanadate hexadecahydrate, a triclinic crystalline material whose three-dimensional network contains [V10O28]6−, NH4+, [Zn(H2O)6]2+, and water. It is applied to solid or aqueous NaBH4 formulations across moderate temperatures.

Technology overview

NaBH4 is hydrolyzed with water at 20–75 °C in the presence of (NH4)2[Zn(H2O)6]2·V10O28·4H2O. The catalyst is a triclinic crystalline particulate characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Claims cover 5–20 wt.% aqueous NaBH4, optional 1–20 wt.% NaOH, and NaBH4:catalyst weight ratios from 1:2 to 5:1, with hydrogen as the only gas in one embodiment and reported generation rates of 500–5000 mL·min−1·g−1. Catalyst synthesis reacts NH4VO3, an ammonium chelating-acid salt, and ZnCl2 in water before crystallization.

Potential applications

Potential use in laboratory on-demand hydrogen release from NaBH4.
Potential use in chemical-hydride fuel-supply research.
Potential use in comparative testing of non-noble heterogeneous catalysts.
Potential use in prototype catalyst cartridges after safety validation.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a structurally characterized crystalline zinc–vanadium catalyst.
Avoids Pt, Ru, and Pd in the claimed catalyst composition.
Supports solid-mixture and aqueous-solution NaBH4 hydrolysis formats.
Defines catalyst synthesis, reagent concentration, mass ratio, and temperature windows.

Development stage

Patent publication with reported catalyst crystallography and NaBH4-hydrolysis hydrogen-generation measurements; durability, integrated-system safety, scale-up, and commercialization were not established.

Commercial opportunity

The catalyst may support research or licensing for chemical-hydride hydrogen generators. Development should verify rate normalization, gas purity, catalyst lifetime and recovery, vanadium and zinc leaching, NaBH4 conversion, NaOH compatibility, borate management, reagent regeneration, corrosion, thermal behavior, hydrogen containment and ignition controls, cartridge design, scale-up reproducibility, and lifecycle economics.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
B01J23/06Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J23/06Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/22Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/70Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
Y02E60/36Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions related to energy generation, transmission or distribution

Inventors

First inventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim
InventorAhmed Bayoumi Mohamed Ibrahim
InventorPeter Mayer

Keywords

zinc vanadate
decavanadate
NaBH4
hydrogen generation
hydrolysis
heterogeneous catalyst
chemical hydride
crystal structure

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.