New carbon nanofiber composite with designed macroscopic shape as catalyst support

摘要

40-50 nm carbon nanofibers were synthesized with a macroscopic design, by anchoring them on a macroscopic pre-shaped carbon support, a graphite felt made of entangled microfibers. The carbon nanofiber synthesis was performed by the catalytic vapor decomposition of an ethane and hydrogen mixture at 700℃ on nickel supported by the graphite felt. After growth, each graphite microfiber of the felt was coated by a several micrometer thick layer of a dense entangled nanofiber network. This new carbon nanofiber composite has been very successfully used as catalyst support for the catalytic decomposition of hydrazine and the low temperature hydrogen sulfide oxidation into elemental sulfur. In both cases, the carbon nanofiber composite-based catalyst was highly efficient while compared to the state of the art catalysts, in terms of activity and stability.