Cobalt- and iron-based nanoparticles hosted in SBA-15 mesoporous silica and activated carbon from biomass: Effect of modification procedure

• Mesoporous SBA-15 silica vs activated carbon from biomass as nanoparticles host.
• The state of hosted metal particles is tuned by support and modification procedure.
• Active phase deposition on carbon support is facilitated from nitrate precursors.
• Cobalt deposition on silica is facilitated from acetylacetonate precursor.

Ordered mesoporous silica of SBA-15 type and activated carbon, prepared from waste biomass (peach stones), are used as host matrix of nanosized iron and cobalt particles. The effect of preparation procedure on the state of loaded nanoparticles is in the focus of investigation. The obtained materials are characterized by Boehm method, low temperature physisorption of nitrogen, XRD, UV–Vis, FTIR, Mossbauer spectroscopy and temperature programmed reduction with hydrogen. The catalytic behaviour of the samples is tested in methanol decomposition. The dispersion, oxidative state and catalytic behaviour of loaded cobalt and iron nanoparticles are successfully tuned both by the nature of porous support and the metal precursor used during the samples preparation. Facile effect of active phase deposition from aqueous solution of nitrate precursors is assumed for activated carbon support. For the silica based materials the catalytic activity could be significantly improved when cobalt acetylacetonate is used during the modification. The complex effect of pore topology and surface functionality of different supports on the active phase formation is discussed.

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