Nickel-containing hybrid ceramics derived from polysiloxanes with hierarchical porosity for CO2 methanation

Nickel-containing hybrid ceramics were prepared by pyrolytic conversion from either methyl or methyl-phenyl polysiloxanes mixed with bistrimethoxysilylpropylamine (BisA) as a complexing agent and nickel salt. Materials with tailorable characteristics were generated by varying the pyrolysis temperature from 400 up to 600 °C in order to evaluate their applicability in the CO2 methanation. The materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms (BET-BJH), water and n-heptane adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In-situ X-ray diffraction analysis (in-situ XRD) was used to evaluate the Ni particle structure and size during a simulated catalytic reaction. Porous hybrid ceramics (ceramers) with high specific surface areas (100–550 m2 g−1), hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces and different Ni particle sizes (4–7 nm) were obtained by varying the pyrolysis temperature and polysiloxane composition. The pyrolytic conversion of polysiloxanes combined with the complexing amino-siloxane BisA not only permitted a good dispersion of the Ni nanoparticles but also enabled the formation of hierarchical porosity with micro-, meso- and macropores. Regarding the catalytic performance, ceramers prepared from methyl polysiloxane exhibited a more hydrophobic surface and improved catalytic performance compared to the ones prepared from methyl-phenyl polysiloxane. A negative effect on the catalytic performance of ceramers was observed with increasing pyrolysis temperatures, which led to an increase in Ni particle size (from 4 to 7 nm), and lower levels of conversion and selectivity. The ceramers pyrolyzed at 400 °C exhibited the best catalytic performance, showing selectivity up to ∼77% and good stability over a 10 h test, during which the Ni particle size was preserved.