Preparation of β-Mo2C, Ni3Mo3N/β-Mo2C and its catalytic performance for methanation

A complexes was produced using hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) as the complexing agent of ammonium molybdate, and β-Mo2C was prepared by a simple thermal decomposition of this complexes. And then Ni was introduced and the bimetallic carbide Ni3Mo3N/β-Mo2C was prepared. The as-prepared products were characterized by XRD, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, SEM, HRTEM, element analysis (EA), and the performances of the prepared catalysts for methanation were investigated. The results showed that the bulk molybdenum carbide exhibited high conversion of CO (xCO), but xCO and selectivity of CH4 (sCH4) on β-Mo2C decreased from 75.93% and 36.79% to 67.41% and 33.54% within 100 h. Thus the catalytic activity was not stable and sCH4 was low. The addition of Ni markedly promoted the catalyst activity and stability, xCO and sCH4 on Ni3Mo3N/β-Mo2C increased from 83.15% and 46.64% to 92.51% and 57.23% within 100h, which should be attributed to the newly produced Ni3Mo3N after Ni addition. © 2016, Science Press. All right reserved.