Formation of Active Sites of Carbon Nanofibers Growth in Self-Organizing Ni–Pd Catalyst during Hydrogen-Assisted Decomposition of 1,2-Dichloroethane

The Ni–Pd alloys synthesized by the coprecipitation method were studied as precursors for the self-organizing particles catalyzing the growth of carbon nanofibers. The addition of palladium was found to enhance both the activity, stability, and productivity of the catalyst in the hydrogen-assisted decomposition of 1,2-dichloroethane. The evolution of reflex (331) for the 95Ni–5Pd sample treated under the reaction conditions has revealed the formation of the interstitial solid solution phase Ni x Pd 1– x C δ . According to data of scanning electron microscopy, the formation of separated particles active in carbon growth takes place by 18th minute of exposure with the reaction mixture. After 60 min of interaction the bulk Ni–Pd alloy undergoes complete disintegration with formation of dispersed active centers sized in a range of 0.4–0.6 μm. The elemental mapping of the formed particles showed that palladium is uniformly distributed within the bulk of active particles. The obtained carbon product is represented by prolonged carbon fibers with segmental structure.