A boron-11 NMR study of the stability of the alkaline aqueous solution of sodium borohydride that is both an indirect fuel and a direct fuel for low-temperature fuel cells

Alkaline aqueous solution of sodium borohydride NaBH4 (denoted SB-fuel) is an indirect fuel when it is used to generate H2 by hydrolysis, with the as-generated H2 feeding a fuel cell, and it is a direct fuel when it is an anodic fuel of a direct fuel cell. However, SB-fuel suffers from a major drawback: NaBH4 spontaneously hydrolyzes. Our study falls within this context. We studied the instability, at the NMR scale and over 12 weeks, of a series of SB-fuels (initial NaBH4 concentration from 3.65 to 31.22 wt%, NaOH concentration from 1 to 16 M, and temperature between −15 and 60 °C) to find the conditions at which SB-fuel can be stored for weeks in relative safety. We found that SB-fuel with a NaOH concentration of ≥8 M is relatively stable under cold conditions (−15 and 4 °C). In these conditions, NaBH4 is not prevented from hydrolyzing, but the reaction is significantly mitigated. Otherwise, our study highlights the gaps in our understanding of the SB-fuel, emphasizes SB-fuel is a new concept of fuel (it should not be seen as any current fuel), and points out the challenges for attaining higher technology readiness levels. [Display omitted] •Alkaline aqueous solution of sodium borohydride NaBH4 (SB-fuel) is a fuel.•The instability of SB-fuel, at the NMR scale and over 12 weeks, was studied.•SB-fuel at ≥8 M NaOH is rather stable at ≤4 °C, the H2 release of being mitigated.•SB-fuel is not stable in other conditions, and cannot be stored safely for weeks.•SB-fuel imposes constraints; it has to be approached differently than e.g. gasoline.