Cobalt hollow nanospheres: controlled synthesis, modification and highly catalytic performance for hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Cobalt hollow nanospheres are successfully synthesized by using the solvothermal method. The morphology of the cobalt hollow nanospheres can be regulated by adjusting the original ethylenediamine/ethanol volume ratio, reaction time and temperature. Impressively, the magnetic property study reveals that the coercivity of the as-synthesized cobalt hollow nanospheres is much enhanced compared with that of bulk cobalt materials. Moreover, the as-synthesized cobalt hollow nanospheres, CoPtHS and CoHS-rGO show highly catalytic activities for the hydrogen generation from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis.