Carbon nanofiber supported nickel catalysts

Carbon nanofibers (CNF) are promising catalyst support materials due
to their physico-chemical properties. The material combines the advantages of
graphite and active carbon. CNF are strong, pure, inert, non microporous and
have a high surface area (100-200 m2/g). In addition the reclaim of metals supported on CNF is easy via oxidation of the support. Nevertheless some
doubts were raised about the suitability of CNF. In particular the bulk density
of the materials was claimed to be too low to be suitable for a commercial
application. In the current study we explored routes to obtain dense carbon
nanofibers bodies suitable as catalyst support. This work is described in chapter
two. Next new routes to the deposition of nickel on carbon nanofibers we
investigated (chapter 3 and 4). Finally the stability of Ni/CNF catalysts in CO
atmospheres, relevant for the use of these catalysts during methanation of synthesis gas, was studied and described in chapter 5.