Mesoporous silica-pillared kenyaite and magadiite as catalytic support for partial oxidation of methane

Highly ordered mesoporous silica-pillared kenyaite (SPK) and magadiite (SPM) were prepared by the hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) through the catalytic effects of dodecylamine (DDA) in the interlayer space. SPM and SPK exhibited regular gallery heights of 3.0 and 3.4 nm, narrow pore size distributions of 2.5 and 3.0 nm and large specific surface areas of 877 and 1029 m2/g, respectively. The sharpness of the d0 0 l peak for SPK was well-preserved even after heating up to 800 °C in air, while the peak for SPM collapsed between 700 and 800 °C. A uniform spacing of 2–3 nm between the layers were obtained from the TEM images of SPM and SPK. SPK and SPM impregnated with 5 wt% of Ni and Pd were examined as potential catalysts in the partial oxidation of methane at 750 °C. The Ni/SPK, Ni/SPM and Pd/SPK catalysts showed higher methane conversions, which remained stable for almost 100 h of heating. Especially, the Pd/SPK catalyst exhibited high selectivity and stability to H2. The results indicate that the SPK and SPM products are highly applicable as catalytic supports in high temperature reactions.