Preparation and catalytic performances of ternary phosphides NiCoP for hydrazine decomposition Original Research Article

A series of silica-supported catalysts, Ni2−xCoxPy/SiO2 (0.50 ≤ x ≤ 1.50, 1.00 ≤ y ≤ 2.00), were prepared by temperature-programmed reduction in hydrogen. The samples were characterized by BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), CO chemisorption and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses. The activities of the ternary phosphides were evaluated in hydrazine decomposition. The results showed that both the Ni/Co ratios and the (Ni + Co)/P ratios had influences on the formation of NiCoP phosphide and activities for hydrazine decomposition. The best performance was found with the catalyst Ni1.00Co1.00P1.50/SiO2 over which hydrazine decomposed completely at room temperature. In comparison with binary phosphide Ni2P/SiO2 and CoP/SiO2, the ternary phosphide Ni1.00Co1.00P1.50/SiO2 exhibited a synergistic effect between Ni and Co, and this synergy can be well explained by the increased electron density of Co based on FT-IR of CO adsorption.