Benzene hydrogenation activities of Ni catalyst supported on N- and B-doped carbons

A catalyst support can improve the catalytic activity of metal catalysts, and this phenomenon is well known as the support effect. The effective use of this support effect is considered important for improving catalytic activity. However, the factors affecting this phenomenon are complex. It is, therefore, important to understand the interaction between the support and metal catalyst as well as the surface characteristics of the support for elucidating this phenomenon. Carbon is a useful support material because of its high chemical and thermal stability and electroconductivity. Moreover, its surface properties can be controlled by doping the carbon structure with heteroatoms. In this study, the catalytic activity of metal particles supported on heteroatom-doped carbon materials was evaluated to investigate the support effect of the doped carbon. The catalytic activity of carbon-supported Ni particles in benzene hydrogenation was improved by introducing N and B into the carbon support. In particular, Ni supported on N-doped carbon showed a two-fold improvement in activity compared to that supported on undoped carbon. A compensation effect was confirmed for the catalytic activity of Ni particles. The results suggest that the introduction of heteroatoms into the carbon support changed the adsorption energy of the reactant on Ni, thereby improving the Ni catalytic activity. [Display omitted] •A catalyst support can improve the catalytic activity of metal catalysts.•Ni on B- and N-doped carbons has better activity than Ni on undoped carbon.•Heteroatoms on carbon change the energy of reactant adsorption onto Ni.•A compensation effect was confirmed for the activity of Ni on doped carbon.