The Need

Ammonia borane, an ideal source of storage hydrogen, was first synthesized 50 years ago, but no synthetic method was reported for industrial scale preparation. For vehicular fuel cell applications, the use of amine-borane compound is costly and lacks a suitable reformer design for the on-demand generation of hydrogen. A novel procedure is necessary to synthesize ammonia borane with greater scalability and purity than current procedures.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Xuenian Chen, developed a novel synthetic method for the preparation of ammonia-borane. The process uses the solvent, toluene, and borane carrier, which can be repeatedly used to make production more cost-effective. The reaction is carried out at room temperature as opposed to the other methods, which are carried out at low or high temperature.

Commercial Applications

• Hydrogen management
• Automotive
• Fuel cells

Benefits/Advantages

• Elimination of undesirable byproducts
• Scalable to cost-effective production
• High purity material (99%)
• Does not require additional purification