Ammonia decomposition catalysis using lithium-calcium imide.
Lithium-calcium imide is explored as a catalyst for the decomposition of ammonia. It shows the highest ammonia decomposition activity yet reported for a pure light metal amide or imide, comparable to lithium imide-amide at high temperature, with superior conversion observed at lower temperatures. Importantly, the post-reaction mass recovery of lithium-calcium imide is almost complete, indicating that it may be easier to contain than the other amide-imide catalysts reported to date. The basis of this improved recovery is that the catalyst is, at least partially, solid across the temperature range studied under ammonia flow. However, lithium-calcium imide itself is only stable at low and high temperatures under ammonia, with in situ powder diffraction showing the decomposition of the catalyst to lithium amide-imide and calcium imide at intermediate temperatures of 200-460 °C.
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK and ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK. bill.david@stfc.ac.uk.
Joshua W
JW
Makepeace
ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK. bill.david@stfc.ac.uk.
Hazel M A
HM
Hunter
ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK. bill.david@stfc.ac.uk.
Thomas J
TJ
Wood
ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK. bill.david@stfc.ac.uk.
Ronald I
RI
Smith
Diamond Light Source Ltd, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK.
Claire A
CA
Murray
Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK and ISIS Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK. bill.david@stfc.ac.uk.
William I F
WI
David