Preparing a Silica-Supported Catalyst for Methane Pyrolysis with Hydrogen and Carbon Nanofiber Products
AIChE Annual Meeting
2023
2023 AIChE Annual Meeting
Annual Student Conference: Competitions & Events
Undergraduate Student Poster Session: Catalysis and Reaction Engineering
Monday, November 6, 2023 - 10:00am to 12:30pm
In this research, the catalyst is formed via particle atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a metal nanoparticle (NP) such as nickel or iron onto a silica support. To produce a silica supported Ni catalyst, ALD is performed in a fluidized bed reactor via two self-limiting half reactions which are alternated until the desired amount of Ni is deposited onto the support. The resulting Ni nanoparticles are then sintered to prepare the catalyst for carbon nanofiber growth during methane pyrolysis. The resulting CNP/silica product is then investigated as an additive in concrete by the Hubler group in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Various characterization methods are implemented, to include carbon combustion analysis, inductively coupled plasma optimal emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). These results will further aid in the development of a catalyst for methane pyrolysis resulting in hydrogen and carbon nanofiber products.