US 12492123 B1Patent grantUnited States

Molybdenum-Oxide Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation

Official patent title

Nanocomposite for hydrogen generation

Arabic title: مركب نانوي لتوليد الهيدروجين

Invention

Problem

Sodium borohydride can store hydrogen chemically, but its hydrolysis requires an effective catalyst, and conventional hydrogen technologies face constraints involving catalyst cost, efficiency, infrastructure, conversion losses, and residue management.

Why it matters

A defined non-noble-metal nanocomposite could support on-demand hydrogen research, but catalyst reuse, molybdenum release, heat and gas management, sodium-metaborate handling, regeneration, and system economics require independent verification.

Approach

The method reacts NaBH4 with water in the presence of a g-C3N4/MoO3/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite catalyst across specified composition, temperature, and hydrogen-generation-rate ranges.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen researchers, chemical-hydride reactor developers, catalyst producers, portable-energy laboratories, and materials teams working on molybdenum-oxide/spinel hybrids.

Potential value

The disclosure links a three-component porous nanocomposite with defined phase composition and specified NaBH4 hydrolysis conditions in a single hydrogen-generation method.

Background

Growing energy demand and concerns about non-renewable resources motivate alternative energy carriers and storage approaches. Hydrogen can serve in transportation, industrial processes, heating, and energy storage, but its production, infrastructure, conversion efficiency, storage, and transport remain important constraints. Sodium borohydride provides a chemical route for storing and releasing hydrogen through hydrolysis. The publication seeks a catalyst that combines graphitic carbon nitride, molybdenum trioxide, and magnesium aluminate spinel to accelerate this reaction without relying on cobalt-rich or noble-metal formulations.

Technology overview

The claimed process contacts NaBH4 and water with a nanocomposite containing graphitic C3N4, MoO3, and MgAl2O4 in a mass relationship of 5 to 15:2 to 7:75 to 95. The reaction is conducted at 10 to 80° C., with a stated hydrogen-generation rate of 2750 to 6000 mL of H2/(min·g of nanocomposite). The composite has a particle-size range of 1 to 500 nm, and dependent claims specify porosity, phase spacing, composition limits, and narrower rate ranges.

Potential applications

Potential on-demand hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride.
Catalyst screening for chemical-hydride reactor development.
Laboratory evaluation of portable hydrogen-supply concepts.
Research on g-C3N4/MoO3/spinel catalytic interfaces.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a defined three-component nanocomposite without added cobalt in specified embodiments.
Provides explicit catalyst composition and reaction-temperature ranges.
States hydrogen-generation-rate ranges tied to nanocomposite mass.
Defines pore and crystallographic characteristics for material comparison.

Development stage

The patent publication specifies material characteristics and hydrogen-generation-rate ranges; commercialization was not established, and development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The disclosure could support catalyst licensing or collaborative reactor-development studies for chemical-hydride hydrogen supply. Commercial evaluation must address reproducibility of the stated rates, catalyst lifetime and recovery, molybdenum release, NaBH4 and water logistics, sodium-metaborate regeneration, heat control, hydrogen purification, and full-system cost.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
B01J21/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J21/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/88Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J27/20Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J27/24Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/19Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/45Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/612Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/613Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/615Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/633Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/647Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/67Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
B01J2235/15Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J2235/30Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B82Y30/00Specific uses or applications of nanostructures; measurement or analysis of nanostructures; manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
C01B2203/1005Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B2203/1041Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B2203/1614Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
Y02E60/36Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions related to energy generation, transmission or distribution

Inventors

First inventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
InventorMohamed Khairy Omran
InventorMohamed Nady Abd El-Hameed Ibrahim

Keywords

hydrogen generation
sodium borohydride
g-C3N4
MoO3
MgAl2O4
hydrolysis
nanocomposite catalyst
chemical hydride

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.