Mesocellular silica foam supported Ni2P catalysts with high hydrogenation activity

A series of nickel phosphide (Ni2P) catalysts supported on Y zeolite, SBA-15 and mesocellular silica foams (MCF) were prepared by the thermal treatment of nickel chloride and sodium hypophosphite at low temperature. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and TEM, and evaluated in the hydrogenation of cyclohexene. The supported Ni2P catalysts exhibited an obvious difference in catalytic performances. Ni2P/MCF was demonstrated to be highly efficient among three kinds of catalysts because the ultra-large mesopores and large pore volume of MCF promote the dispersion of Ni2P and accelerate the diffusion of reactant and product. Under the reaction conditions of 80 A degrees C and 1.5 MPa, 40 % Ni2P/MCF afforded a very high cyclohexene conversion of 97.5 %.