Synthesis of SnO(Sn)/Ni foam monolithic catalysts and their catalytic activity

In this paper, a series of monolithic catalysts, which nickel foams were used as the support, were prepared and their catalytic performance in the synthesis of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) were studied. The active components of the monolithic catalyst are SnO and Sn. The effect of current density and electroplating temperature on the electroplating rate and the catalytic activity of the catalysts were investigated. The influence of the calcination process on the catalytic activity of the catalysts was studied. The life and the deactivation reason of the catalyst were also discussed. The results show that these monolithic catalysts have good catalytic activity and selectivity in DOP synthesis. When Sn/Ni-3(300) is used as the catalyst, the conversion of phthalic anhydride (PA) reaches 96.75% in 1h and the DOP selectivity reaches above 97% when the reaction reaches equilibrium. Moreover, the catalysts can be easily separated from the reaction mixture and be reused without any treatment.