Graphical Abstract

Rational construction of highly dispersed, small size, and low cost catalysts for release of hydrogen from ammonia borane (AB) is regarded as a prospective approach for promoting the development of upcoming hydrogen economy. However, the high price and scarcity of precious metal catalysts impose restrictions on their large-scale application. To this end, with the aid of a Cu doped CoZn-zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) template strategy, we successfully construct ultrafine monodispersed Co2P/(0.59-Cu3P) on CoZn-ZIF derived porous N-doped carbon (Co2P/(0.59-Cu3P)-NC) as an efficient non-noble-metal catalyst. Specifically, Co and Cu atoms can be geometrically separated to high degree due to the presence of Zn in the CuCoZn-ZIF precursor, and evaporation of Zn during pyrolysis can generate porous structure with the framework well maintained. The results show that porous Co2P/(0.59-Cu3P)-NC bimetallic phosphide exhibits large specific surface area, hierarchical pore structure, and well-exposed active sites. Based on the kinetics analyses and ion effects, the catalyst has achieved an unprecedentedly high total turnover frequency (TOF) of 798 mol
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