Characterisation and catalytic properties of Ni, Co, Ce and Ru nanoparticles in mesoporous carbon spheres

Ni, Co, Ce and Ru nanoparticles were inserted into templated carbon using a nanocasting technique and evaluated for the dehydration of glycerol. NiO and CeO2 preferentially yielded 5 nm uniformly sized particles that filled the mesoporous carbon via a geometric confinement effect. Ru generated Ru-o and RuO2 nanoparticles that selectively migrated towards the carbon surface and did not undergo sintering, whereas Co nanoparticles containing CoO and Co3O4 showed the opposite behaviour. The stabilising effects of the Ce and Ru nanoparticles on the carbon matrix effectively prevented the aggregation of small particles, resulting in superior catalytic performance in glycerol dehydration.