Abstract
[Display omitted]
•Vertically standing fused 2D structures maximize catalytic activity and prevent aggregation.•Triptycene-based 2D network structures render kinetic advantage in catalysis due to intrinsic microporosity.•2D vertically standing structure geometry is proven to be great thermochemical catalyst support.•For the most accurate Ru content analysis in carbon composites, TGA is the most appropriate tool.
Catalytic ammonia decomposition enables ammonia to be a hydrogen gas carrier for a carbon-free fuel economy. The challenge is to obtain high conversion yields and rates at low temperatures for a prolonged time. A promising approach is to engineer a catalyst support to minimize deleterious effects like sintering. Here, we compared a conventional 2D planar porous framework support with a vertically standing 2D structure to ascertain the effects of support geometry on the catalytic performance. The catalysts were made by loading ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles onto the structures, and the catalytic activities were monitored by varying the ammonia (NH3) feeding rate and reaction temperature. Unlike the planar version, the vertically standing 2D support prevented nanoparticle aggregation, retained the original nanoparticle size, and showed an excellent hydrogen production rate (95.17 mmol gRu−1 min−1) at a high flow rate of 32,000 mL gcat−1 h−1 at a temperature of 450 °C.