Enhanced hydrogenation conversion efficiency of porous nickel particles with homogeneously distributed unimodal nanopores

Abstract

Reactive nickel (Ni) catalysts with highly active sites on their surface are mainly used in selective hydrogenation reactions. In this study, we synthesized a few micron-sized porous Ni particles with homogenously distributed unimodal nanopores of size 50 nm using a precisely controlled spray pyrolysis process. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the particles was investigated in the vapor phase of the 1-butene hydrogenation reaction at 100–300°C. The porous Ni particles exhibited superior catalytic conversion efficiencies at the reaction temperatures compared to those of alloyed Ni synthesized using the conventional method. These results indicate that increasing nano-sized reaction sites on a micron-particle is a key approach to accelerate hydrogenation by lowering activation energy for the reaction.Thus, the proposed reactive Ni particles effectively enhance the efficiency of metal catalysts by introducing a homogeneous distribution and connection of unimodal nanopores.