Nickel catalysts supported on amino-functionalized MCM-41 for syngas methanation

Abstract

MCM-41 was functionalized with amino groups using (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) as a precursor, and then Ni was chemically immobilized to synthesize the Ni/NH₂-MCM-41 catalyst. The obtained catalysts were characterized using various physicochemical techniques. The catalyst activity of Ni/NH₂-MCM-41 catalyst was superior to that of Ni/MCM-41 at low temperatures for synthetic gas methanation. Almost no CO conversion decrease was observed even after a 200 h run, indicating that the catalytic performance of the Ni/NH₂-MCM-41 catalyst was very stable. It was proposed that the amino groups and carbon skeleton of APTES on the surface of the MCM-41 support could inhibit the aggregation of Ni nanoparticles, thereby improving catalyst activity and stability for synthetic gas methanation.