US 12497291 B1Patent grantUnited States

Lanthanum Nanocomposite for Hydrogen Generation

Official patent title

Method of producing hydrogen gas through sodium borohydride hydrolysis using nanocomposite catalyst

Arabic title: طريقة لإنتاج غاز الهيدروجين من خلال التحلل المائي لبوروهيدريد الصوديوم باستخدام محفز نانو مركب

Invention

Problem

Hydrogen storage and transport are difficult, while sodium borohydride self-hydrolysis is slow and noble-metal catalysts used to accelerate it can be constrained by cost, scarcity, and toxicity.

Why it matters

A heterogeneous, non-noble-metal catalyst could support controlled hydrogen release from a chemical carrier, but catalyst durability and recovery, lanthanum release, heat control, gas purity, residue management, regeneration, and economics require independent verification.

Approach

The method hydrolyzes NaBH4 with water using a particulate La(OH)3/La2O3/CaSiO3/g-C3N4 crystalline nanocomposite catalyst under specified temperature and catalyst-loading conditions.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include hydrogen-production researchers, chemical-hydride reactor developers, catalyst manufacturers, portable-power laboratories, and materials teams studying lanthanum-based catalytic composites.

Potential value

The disclosure connects a four-phase, mesoporous catalyst with explicit NaBH4-to-catalyst ratios, reaction temperatures, preparation conditions, and hydrogen-generation-rate ranges.

Background

Hydrogen is an energy carrier with potential uses in transportation, industry, heating, and energy storage, yet safe storage and transport remain difficult. Sodium borohydride stores hydrogen chemically and releases it through hydrolysis, but self-hydrolysis proceeds slowly. Heterogeneous catalysts can accelerate the reaction and may be separated from the sodium-metaborate solution formed as a coproduct. Many active catalysts rely on platinum, ruthenium, or palladium, motivating research into non-noble alternatives and structured composites that operate near practical temperatures.

Technology overview

The claimed method hydrolyzes NaBH4 at about 20 to 75° C. with a particulate catalyst containing hexagonal La(OH)3, La2O3, monoclinic CaSiO3, and g-C3N4, part of which forms mesoporous nanosheets. The NaBH4-to-catalyst weight ratio is about 1:1 to about 5:1. Dependent claims define acicular particles, surface area, pore dimensions, catalyst preparation, narrower reaction conditions, and hydrogen-generation rates of about 100 to about 1500 mL min−1 g−1 based on NaBH4 weight.

Potential applications

Potential on-demand hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride.
Laboratory development of chemical-hydride hydrogen reactors.
Catalyst screening for portable hydrogen-supply systems.
Research on lanthanum/calcium-silicate/carbon-nitride catalytic interfaces.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a non-noble-metal, four-phase heterogeneous catalyst.
Defines catalyst loading and reaction-temperature windows.
Combines acicular oxide phases with mesoporous g-C3N4 nanosheets.
Provides a preparation route and stated hydrogen-generation-rate ranges.

Development stage

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

Commercial opportunity

The catalyst could support licensing or joint development of chemical-hydride hydrogen cartridges and reactors. Commercial work should verify rate reproducibility, catalyst lifetime and separation, lanthanum and particle release, sodium-metaborate recovery, reactant regeneration, thermal management, hydrogen purification, safe handling, and total delivered-hydrogen cost.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
B01J23/10Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J23/10Chemical 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
B01J35/45Chemical 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
B01J35/633Chemical 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
B01J37/031Chemical 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
B01J37/088Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C01B3/065Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof

Inventors

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

Keywords

hydrogen generation
sodium borohydride
La(OH)3
La2O3
CaSiO3
g-C3N4
hydrolysis
nanocomposite catalyst

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.