Fe2O3 hollow microspheres as highly selective catalysts for the production of α-olefins

Abstract

We rationally designed and facilely synthesized an excellent Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst based on mesoporous Fe₂O₃ microspheres derived from Fe-glycerate via an annealing treatment in air. The synthesis of a Fe-containing precursor is the key step in the fabrication process of Fe₂O₃ microspheres with different interior structures (solid spheres, yolk–shell spheres and hollow spheres). The as-prepared catalysts were characterized systematically to elucidate their structure-dependent catalytic properties. The fine control of Fe₂O₃ with different interior structures and tunable pore sizes distinctly optimized the FTS activity and shifted the product distribution towards heavy hydrocarbons (especially, α-olefins) compared with the traditional iron catalysts. In light of the characterization results, the excellent FTS performance of the Fe₂O₃ hollow spheres can be attributed to the hollow and mesoporous structures.