Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2014 Mar 21;16(11):5034-43. doi: 10.1039/c3cp55030c.
This perspective offers an overview of using nanomaterials for understanding cobalt catalysed Fischer-Tropsch chemistry. Nanomaterials now afford unprecedented control of size, shape and structure at the nanometre scale. This makes them invaluable tools for studying heterogeneous catalysis. The Fischer-Tropsch reaction, especially using cobalt based catalysts, is a linchpin in many processes for utilising other feedstocks (via gasification) that have been envisaged as short/medium term replacements for crude oil. The underlying chemistry has therefore garnered considerable renewed interest. The current state of the art in mechanistic understanding is summarised and the application of nanomaterials to developing this further is explored. Several specific questions, to which nanomaterials have already contributed answers, are addressed: how do nanomaterials contribute to our understanding of cobalt particle size effects, reducibility, and the effect of support porosity and how do precious metal promoters operate in cobalt catalysed Fischer-Tropsch chemistry? Future possible uses for nanomaterials in studying this field are also identified.
本文概述了使用纳米材料来理解钴催化费托合成化学。纳米材料现在可以在纳米尺度上以前所未有的方式控制尺寸、形状和结构。这使它们成为研究多相催化的宝贵工具。费托反应，特别是使用钴基催化剂，是许多利用其他原料（通过气化）的工艺的关键，这些原料被设想为短期/中期替代原油。因此，基础化学引起了相当大的重新关注。本文总结了目前在机械理解方面的最新进展，并探讨了纳米材料在进一步发展方面的应用。针对几个具体问题，纳米材料已经提供了答案：纳米材料如何帮助我们理解钴颗粒大小效应、可还原性以及载体孔隙率的影响，以及贵金属促进剂在钴催化费托合成化学中的作用？还确定了纳米材料在该领域研究中的未来可能用途。
