New Generation of Carbon Catalysts is Superior Than Nanocarbons
Written by AZoNanoFeb 5 2021
In contemporary society, catalysts are crucial materials through which raw materials can be selectively converted into useful products and, at the same time, waste is reduced and energy is saved.
Image credit: Rost9/shutterstock.com
With regard to industrially pertinent oxidative dehydrogenation reactions, most of the familiar catalyst systems are built on transition metals, like silver, iron, molybdenum, or vanadium.
There are inherent disadvantages related to the use of transition metals, for example, rare occurrence, toxicity, and environmentally harmful mining processes. Hence, the fact that pure carbon has catalytic activity in this kind of reaction and, therefore, has excellent potential as a sustainable replacement material, is of major interest.
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Catalysts are key materials in modern society, enabling selective conversion of raw materials into valuable products while reducing waste and saving energy. In case of industrially relevant oxidative dehydrogenation reactions, most known catalyst systems are based on transition metals such as Iron, Vanadium, Molybdenum or Silver. Due to intrinsic drawbacks associated with the use of transition metals, such as rare occurrence, environmentally harmful mining processes, and toxicity, the fact that pure carbon exhibits catalytic activity in this type of reaction and thus has high potential as a sustainable substitution material is of high interest.
To date, the development of carbon-based catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation reactions may be divided into two generations. The first generation of carbon catalysts was inspired by the discovery of the catalytic activity of coke deposits on metal-based catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation. Subsequently, mainly amorphous car