Expanded graphite applied in the catalytic process as a catalyst support

An amorphous NiB supported on expanded graphite (EG) catalyst was prepared as an example to show the superior characteristics of EG as a novel carbon support material. EG and the prepared catalysts were characterized by mercury porosimetry, inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The catalytic activities of prepared catalysts were investigated by the hydrogenation of sulfolene to sulfalone and the selective hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) to p-chloroaniline (p-CA). We showed that the prepared Ni-B/EG catalyst exhibited very high catalytic activity.