A study concerning the pretreatment of CNTs and its influence on the performance of NiB/CNTs amorphous catalyst

Abstract

As prepared carbon nanotubes were pretreated with nitric acid (CNTs-HNO3) or ammonia (CNTs-NH3). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements showed that the surface of the nanotubes was functionalized with carboxylic and hydroxyl functional groups after the acid treatment and that basic groups containing nitrogen, such as N-H and C-N, were introduced to the surface of the nanotubes after the ammonia treatment. X-Ray diffraction analysis implied that the nickel residue in the CNTs was effectively removed by acid treatment. However, the nickel residue was only partially eliminated by ammonia pretreatment. NiB amorphous catalysts supported on CNTs-HNO3 and CNTs-NH3 were prepared by the impregnation-chemical reduction method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy and studied in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene. TEM measurements showed that a high density NiB particles of about 9 nm were homogeneously dispersed on the CNTs-NH3. However, NiB particles (13-23 nm)with amean size of 16 nm were scattered on the CNTs-HNO3. As a result, the activity and selectivity of NiB/CNTs-NH3 were higher than those of NiB/CNTs-HNO3 in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene.