Carbon-coated structured supports. Preparation and use for nitrobenzene hydrogenation

[Display omitted] ► We examined a simple way to coat stainless steel foams with carbon supported catalysts. ► Carbon coating obtained from a slurry is compared to carbon from polymer. ► The polymer method gives adherent layer with small pores. ► The suspension method leads to a mesoporous material. Whereas carbon is a major catalyst support, namely in pharmaceutical industry, its immobilisation on structured objects has scarcely been studied. This article presents the comparison of two methods aiming at coating ceramic and metallic supports with a carbon layer. The method involving a suspension of black carbon is easy to use but leads to less adherent layers than the method involving the carbonisation of poly(furfuryl alcohol). On the other hand, the former method is the one that allows to prepare more active catalysts for nitrobenzene hydrogenation. Then, the suspension formulation has been improved to enhance the carbon adhesion.