Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Catalyst for Gas-Phase Oxidation of Ethanol to Acetaldehyde.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were directly used as a sustainable and green catalyst to convert ethanol into acetaldehyde in the presence of molecular oxygen. The C=O groups generated on the nanocarbon surface were demonstrated as active sites for the selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. The transformation of disordered carbon debris on the CNT surface to ordered graphitic structures induced by thermal-treatment significantly enhanced the stability of the active C=O groups, and thus the catalytic performance. A high reactivity with approximately 60 % ethanol conversion and 93 % acetaldehyde selectivity was obtained over the optimized CNT catalyst at 270 °C. More importantly, the catalytic performance was quite stable even after 500 h, which is comparable with a supported gold catalyst. The robust catalytic performance displayed the potential application of CNTs in the industrial catalysis field.
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China.
Jia
J
Wang
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China.
Rui
R
Huang
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China.
Zhenbao
Z
Feng
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China. liuhy@imr.ac.cn.
Hongyang
H
Liu
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China. dssu@imr.ac.cn.|Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Plank Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195, Berlin, Germany. dssu@imr.ac.cn.
Dangsheng
D
Su
D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
D005740:Gases; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D000431:Ethanol; D000079:Acetaldehyde
carbon nanotubes; catalysis; ethanol; green chemistry; oxidation