Commercial carbon nanotubes as heterogeneous catalysts in energy related applications

Abstract

Abstract We report the application of commercial carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in two important heterogeneously catalyzed reactions, i.e ., NH 3 decomposition and oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EB). For NH 3 decomposition, CNTs were used as supports for Co–Mo nanoparticles. The structure of fresh and used catalysts was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and line‐scan energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX). Most of the nanoparticles are individually separated and the synergism mainly increases the long‐term stability rather than the activity. For the oxidative dehydrogenation, the metal‐free CNTs display a superior performance as compared to the Fe‐doped CNTs. The outstanding results in both reactions predict an extremely promising future of commercial nanocarbons in modern catalysis.