Comparison of growth mechanisms of undoped and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers on nickel-containing catalysts

The growth mechanisms of carbon nanofibers on Ni catalysts and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers on Ni and Ni-Cu catalysts were studied. The growth of both types of nanofibers was found to occur by a mechanism that included the formation of surface non-stoichiometric nickel carbide followed by the dissolution and diffusion of carbon, or carbon and nitrogen into the bulk of the catalyst particles.

A similarity of the growth mechanisms of carbon nanofibers and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers on Ni-containing catalysts was demonstrated by the use of XPS and XRD in situ techniques.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide