Synthesis And Characterization Of Spherical Model Co-Fe Nanocatalyst

Iron and Cobalt are the commonly used catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction in the industries. This project explores the potential of combining Iron and Cobalt as a bimetallic catalyst for the Ficher-Tropsch reaction. This report discusses the synthesis and characterization of spherical model Cobalt-Ferum nano-catalyst on Silica (SiO2). The objective of the project is to study the properties of the mixture of Cobalt-Ferum bimetallic nanoparticles supported on Silica (SiO2). In this project, two methods of preparation had been tested namely the Impregnation and Precipitation methods. These two methods used precursor salts which were deposited on Silica (SiO2). In precipitation method, Ammonium hydroxide was used as the precipitating agent. The preparation of nano-scale materials with desired properties represents a significant challenge. Samples were characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Temperature Program Reduction (TPR). Average particle size for samples prepared using the impregnation method was 9.3nm while the precipitation method resulted in particle size average of 3.1nm. The precipitation method is better than impregnation method as it produced rather than uniform particle shape and narrow particle size distribution