Study of Iron Dispersion on Carbon Nanofiber via Deposition Precipitation Method

This research work reports the discoveries of the iron dispersion on carbon nanofiber via deposition precipitation method. The aim of this research is to study the iron dispersion pattern and particle size distribution on CNF supported iron catalyst. The goal is achieved by functionalizing carbon nanofiber as a catalyst support and impregnating iron precursor on the fiber through deposition precipitation technique.
In this project, CNF supported iron catalysts have been prepared using iron nitrate, Fe(NO3)3 as a precursor by homogeneous deposition precipitation (HDP) method with the presence of urea as the precipitating agent. The amount of iron loading was varied from 10, 20 to 30wt% and the catalysts were prepared for 6, 8 to 10 hours. The CNF powder has been undergone surface oxidation treatment using 1M nitric acid (HNO3) as the oxidizing agent. Characterization of the pre-treated CNF support was performed by Point Zero Charge (PZC) analysis. Meanwhile, the CNF supported iron catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) for studying the surface morphology as well as determining the iron particle distribution and size. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the thermal properties of the CNF supported iron catalyst. The HDP method turned out to be suitable for the preparation of small uniform iron particles on CNF with high thermostability although the method was produced low yield of iron loading.