Preparation by two simple methods and characterization of Ni3N and use in the hydrogenation of isopropanol

The catalytic dehydrogenation of isopropanol is an important area of the catalytic process to produce fine chemicals and has important applications in heat pumps, fuel cells, and acetone production. Thereby, the catalytic liquid-phase dehydrogenation of isopropanol has gained attention over the last decades and has used a large variety of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. In this paper, nickel nitride (Ni3N) nanoparticles, having a cubic structure, were successfully synthesized in simple and efficient methods either from nickel oxide or from nickel complex. The morphological and structural analyses of the obtained nanoparticles were performed by using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). At room temperature and under atmospheric pressure, the dehydrogenation test of isopropanol, using nickel nitride as a catalyst, revealed very high activity and better Hydrogen production.