Nanosheets of Ni/Clay as high efficient catalysts for hydrogenation of aromatics

Using montmorillonite (MMT), a natural layered clay, as the layered precursor, nanosheets of Ni/MMT are obtained via a facile method, in which the nickel components are introduced on to the surface of the exfoliated MMT nanosheets dispersed in water via deposition-precipitation with nickel nitrate and urea. Due to their unique properties originated from the two-dimensional (2D) structure, which favors mass transfer and diffusion of the aromatics and their hydrogenation products over the catalyst during reaction, the obtained nanosheets of Ni/Clay show higher efficient for hydrogenation of aromatics than Ni/SBA-15 and Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. And the highest TOF for hydrogenation of tetralin over the nanosheets of Ni/Clay is obtained as nickel loading being high to 18.5%.