Ni Nanoparticles Supported on High Surface Area Carborundum for Enhanced Hydrogen Production by Ammonia Decomposition
Guoru Li, Yuhang Tan, Zhiping Lei, Fengxiang Yin, Xiaobo He
Abstract
Ni nanocatalysts based on high surface area carborundum for the decomposition of ammonia to CO x -free hydrogen are synthesized using a wet impregnation approach. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and H 2 -temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) methods. The Ni/SiC catalyst was found to be extremely active for the decomposition reaction when their activities were assessed in a fixed-bed reactor. Ni content and calcination temperature affect the crystallite size, dispersion, and reducibility of Ni species, thereby impacting the catalytic properties of catalysts. The 30Ni/SiC catalyst demonstrates the highest catalytic activity and long-term stability. At a high space velocity of 30 000 mL g cat –1 h –1, the 30Ni/SiC-700 catalyst converts ammonia by 79.6% at 550 °C, demonstrating that Ni/SiC is an effective ammonia decomposition catalyst. The present study provides a promising avenue for the development of cost-effective and high-performance catalysts for hydrogen production via NH 3 decomposition.