Ammonia borane (AB) has been identified as one of the most promising candidates for chemical hydrogen storage. However, the practical application of AB for hydrogen production is hindered by the need of efficient and inexpensive catalysts. For the first time, we report that the incorporation of Mo into Cu@Co core-shell structure can significantly improve the catalytic efficiency of hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of AB. The [email protected] core-shell catalyst displays high catalytic activity towards the hydrolysis dehydrogenation of AB with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 49.6 molH(2) mol(cat)(-1) min(-1), which is higher than most of Cu-based catalysts ever reported, and even comparable to those of noble-metal based catalysts. The excellent catalytic performance is attributed to the multi-elements co-deposition effect and electrons transfer effect of Cu, Mo and Co in the tri-metallic core-shell NPs. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.