Boosting effect of single-atom Sn on catalytic activity of Ni towards synthesis of carbon nanofibers from ethylene

Nickel and its alloys are widely used for the synthesis of carbon nanofibers via catalytic chemical vapor depo-sition of various hydrocarbons. In the present research, a series of Ni-Sn alloys with tin loading varied in a range from 0.1 to 25.0 at% were prepared and characterized. Alloying of nickel with a small amount of tin was found to accelerate significantly the catalytic process of ethylene decomposition accompanied by carbon deposition. For the NiSn(0.25) sample, the carbon yield reaches 195 g/gcat after 30 min at 550 degrees C. At the highest Sn loading (25.0 at%), the process is completely suppressed. A new mechanism explaining the observed interaction of ethylene with Ni-Sn alloys was proposed. Single-atom Sn species are responsible for the increased catalytic ac-tivity. A single-atom Ni-Sn alloy is considered an efficient catalyst with enhanced stability for the production of carbon nanofibers.