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.