Nickel-cobalt nanoparticles supported on single-walled carbon nanotubes and their catalytic hydrogenation activity.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes were synthesized from graphite using the arc discharge technique. A nickel/yttrium/graphite mixture was used as the catalyst. After purification by sonication in a Triton X-100 solution, nickel-cobalt metal nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the single-walled carbon nanotubes. The resulting material and/or the nanotubes themselves were characterized by physisorption, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transition electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Raman spectroscopy indicates that the nanotubes, prepared by the arc discharge technique, are semi-conducting with a diameter centering at 1.4 nm. The average nickel-cobalt particle size is estimated to be in the region of 8 nm. The catalytic activity of the material was examined for the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters obtained from avocado oil. The carbon nanotube supported nickel-cobalt particles effectively hydrogenate polyunsaturated methyl linoleate to monounsaturated methyl oleate. In contrast to a conventional nickel on kieselghur catalyst, further hydrogenation of methyl oleate to undesired methyl stearate was not observed.