Pure Hydrogen Production by Partial Dehydrogenation of Cyclohexane and Methylcyclohexane over Nanotube-Supported Pt and Pd Catalysts

Abstract

Stacked-cone carbon nanotubes (SC-CNT) were used as the support medium to prepare Pt and Pd catalysts for partial dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane to produce pure hydrogen. Results show that 0.25 wt % Pt/SC-CNT catalyst has the same catalytic activity and selectivity to produce aromatic products and hydrogen as a commercial 1 wt % Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. Even 0.1 wt % Pt/SC-CNT shows high reaction activity for the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane, and this catalyst has the highest turn over number (TON) for hydrogen production. Transmission electron microscopy established that the mean diameter of the Pt nanoparticles dispersed on the SC-CNT remained approximately 1−2 nm even after cyclohexane dehydrogenation reaction. Pd supported on SC-CNT was not nearly as effective as Pt/SC-CNT for the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and methylcyclohexane.