Ni Hollow Nanospheres: Preparation and Catalytic Activity

Abstract

A method to prepare monodispersed silica nanospheres as templates for fabrication of nickel-silica composite hollow spheres is presented. The structures for both silica nanospheres and nickel-silica composite hollow spheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The catalytic activity for acetone hydrogenation on nickel-silica composite hollow spheres was evaluated, and high conversion efficiency of 70% with good selectivity of 82.7% to 2-propanol was observed. The mechanism of high catalytic activity and good selectivity in acetone hydrogenation reaction was discussed.