Formation of Active Sites of Carbon Nanofibers Growth in Self-Organizing Ni-Pd Catalyst during Hydrogen-Assisted Decomposition of 1,2-Dichloroethane

The Ni-Pd alloys synthesized by coprecipitation method were studied as precursors for the self-organizing particles catalyzing the growth of carbon nanofibers. Addition of palladium was found to enhance both the activity, stability and productivity of the catalyst in the hydrogen-assisted decomposition of 1,2-dichloroethane. Evolution of reflex (331) for 95Ni-5Pd sample treated under the reaction conditions has revealed the formation of the interstitial solid solution phase NixPd1-xCδ. According to data of scanning electron microscopy, the formation of separated particles active in carbon growth takes place by 18th minute of exposure with reaction mixture. After 60 minutes of interaction the bulk Ni-Pd alloy undergoes complete disintegration with formation of dispersed active centers sized in a range of 0.4-0.6 microns. The elemental mapping of the formed particles showed that palladium is uniformly distributed within the bulk of active particles. The obtained carbon product is represented by prolonged carbon fibers with segmental structure.