Carbon aerogels (CAs) with oxygen-rich functional groups and high surface area are synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of glucose in the presence of boric acid, and are used as the support for loading cobalt catalysts (CAs/Co). Cobalt nanoparticles distribute uniformly on the surface of ACs, creating highly dispersed catalytic active sites for hydrolysis of alkaline sodium borohydride solution. A rapid hydrogen generation rate of 11.22 L min(-1) g((cobalt))(-1) is achieved at 25 degrees C by hydrolysis of 1 wt% NaBH4 solution containing 10 wt% NaOH and 20 mg the CAs/Co catalyst with a cobalt loading of 18.71 wt%. Furthermore, various influences are systematically investigated to reveal the hydrolysis kinetics characteristics. The activation energy is found to be 38.4 kJ mol(-1). Furthermore, the CAs/Co catalyst can be reusable and its activity almost remains unchanged after recycling, indicating its promising applications in fuel cell. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.