Solution Combustion Synthesis of Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst for Methane Decomposition: Effect of Fuel

The synthesis of a 90% Ni/Al2O3 catalyst via solution combustion synthesis with various fuels was studied in this work. Catalysts with a high content of the active component (i.e., nickel) were obtained as a result of the combustion of Ni(NO3)2·6H2O and Al(NO3)3·9H2O mixtures with fuel. The fuels, such as hexamethylenetetramine, glycine, urea, starch, citric acid, and oxalic acid, were investigated. The synthesis was carried out in a furnace, with the temperature being raised from room temperature to 450 °C at a rate of 1 °C per min. The paper evaluates the efficiency of fuels and their effect on the structure and properties of catalysts, as well as their catalytic activity. The catalyst was used for the synthesis of hydrogen and carbon nanofibers by methane decomposition at 1 bar and 550 °C. The catalysts were tested in a vertical flow reactor without preliminary reduction. The obtained samples of catalysts and carbon nanomaterials were studied by transmission electron microscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, and X-ray diffraction. The highest activity of the catalyst was obtained when citric acid was used as a fuel. The specific yields of hydrogen and carbon nanofibers were 17.1 mol/gcat and 171.3 g/gcat, respectively. Catalytic decomposition of methane led to the formation of cup-stacked carbon nanofibers.