At the first stage of the study, the Skoltech scientists synthesised superhard tungsten boride by sintering tungsten and bromine in the ratio of one to seven at a temperature of 1500 degrees Celsius and the pressure of 7 gigapascals, which is 69,000 times higher than the atmospheric pressure. Then, with the participation of scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University, a vacuum-free method of tungsten boride synthesis was developed, which dramatically simplified its production, including for catalytic reactions.
In their turn, the scientists from the Institute of Catalysis SB RAS used the synthesised material as a co-catalyst for two reactions – carbon dioxide to methane conversion and hydrogen production from aqueous solution of ethanol. Titanium dioxide, which is widely used in the production of paints, plastics and laminated paper, played the role of another co-catalyst. The results showed that the catalyst based on tungsten boride and titanium dioxide increased the efficiency of the first reaction four times and the second – 23 times.
“The simulation data show that higher tungsten boride can work as an active catalyst material for hydrogen production from ethanol, and the experimental results have confirmed our predictions. Due to the fact that our material was not previously considered as a potential catalyst, now the issue arises about screening chemical processes where it could prove to be a more efficient catalyst compared to traditional materials,” Skoltech quotes Alexander Kvashnin, Professor at the Center for Energy Transition.
