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Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Includes bibliographical references.

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Main Author: Macheli, Lebohang
Other Authors: Van Steen, Eric
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Chemical Engineering 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Macheli, Lebohang
author2 Van Steen, Eric
author_browse Macheli, Lebohang
Van Steen, Eric
author_facet Van Steen, Eric
Macheli, Lebohang
author_sort Macheli, Lebohang
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliographical references.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13226
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:32:45.765Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Chemical Engineering
publisherStr Department of Chemical Engineering
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13226 Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis Macheli, Lebohang Van Steen, Eric Chemical Engineering Includes bibliographical references. The aim of this study was to study the interaction between the silica and cobalt crystallites using a model of Co3O4-nanocubes whose surface was modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate. The model systems were prepared in two steps, viz. synthesis of the cobalt(III,II) oxide nanocubes via the sodium dodecylsulphate assisted oxidative precipitation and a surface modification of the nanocubes with tetraethyl orthosilicate. The obtained morphology and in particular the average crystallite size of Co3O4 nanocubes is affected by the temperature at which the reagents are mixed, the rate at which they are mixed as well as the time of reaction. The modification of the surface of the Co3O4-nanocubes with tetraethyl orthosilicate resulted in the formation of Co-O-Si ligands on the surface of Co3O4. This was confirmed in addition to (amorphous) SiO2 using Fourier transformer infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. The surface treatment did not yield the formation of crystalline silica or a crystalline cobalt silicate phase as indicated by the absence of characteristic diffraction bands using XRD. Furthermore, there was no hard-to reduce material (e.g. cobalt silicate) as the TPR profiles showed only two peaks corresponding to the reduction of Co3O4 to metallic cobalt. The reduction behaviour of Co3O4 nano-cubes was, however, affected by the surface treatment with tetraethyl orthosilicate. A shift in the reduction profile towards higher temperatures was observed with increasing SiO2 loading. This occurs as a result of increased activation energy for the reduction of the model catalysts upon modifying with tetraethyl orthosilicate, which might be ascribed to a strong interaction between cobalt and silica. Surface modification of Co3O4 with SiO2 prohibits sintering and the silica species may act as spacers between the cobalt particles. The Co-O-Si species are still present after the reduction of these model materials and during the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The Fischer-Tropsch activity is improved with a maximum activity improvement of about 15 times. The activity enhancement is larger than what is expected based on the increased metal surface area indicating that Co-O-Si surface species may also act as a promoter for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. 2015-07-01T08:56:35Z 2015-07-01T08:56:35Z 2014 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13226 eng application/pdf Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Chemical Engineering
Macheli, Lebohang
Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_full Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_fullStr Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_full_unstemmed Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_short Silica modified Co3O4 nanocubes as a model system for metal-support interaction in Co/SiO2 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_sort silica modified co3o4 nanocubes as a model system for metal support interaction in co sio2 catalyst for fischer tropsch synthesis
topic Chemical Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13226
work_keys_str_mv AT machelilebohang silicamodifiedco3o4nanocubesasamodelsystemformetalsupportinteractionincosio2catalystforfischertropschsynthesis