Outstanding hydrogen production properties of surface catalysts promoted Mg–Ni–Ce composites at room temperature in simulated seawater

The as-cast magnesium–nickel–cerium (Mg–Ni–Ce) alloys with nominal component (Mg–10 wt% Ni)1−xCex (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 wt%) are optimized by high-energy ball milling (HEBM). Expandable graphite (EG) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have been introduced as surface catalysis to form (Mg10Ni)95Ce5–5 wt% EG–5 wt% MoS2 composite. The synergetic effects of HEBM and catalysts on H2 production of (Mg10Ni)95Ce5 are comprehensively studied. The thermodynamics are studied by H2 generation curves fitting. The HEBM 0Ce, 5Ce, 10Ce and 15Ce alloys at 291 K can generate 530, 747, 720 and 487 mL g−1 H2 with conversion yields of 59%, 87%, 89% and 64% in initial 15 min, respectively. The addition of surface catalysts EG–MoS2 can further enhance the initial hydrogen generation rate and the final conversion yield within short period at room temperature. 773 mL g−1 H2 corresponding to 95% conversion yield can be obtained by HEBM (Mg10Ni)95Ce5–EG–MoS2 within 1 min at 291 K. The synergetic effects of HEBM and EG–MoS2 can promote rapid initial generation rate and high conversion yield of hydrolysis hydrogen generation of (Mg10Ni)95Ce5–EG–MoS2 composite. This work indicates a promising way to synthesize Mg-based alloys with rapid initial hydrolysis H2 generation kinetics and high conversion yield within a short period.