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

Abstract

© 2022Reactive 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.