Synthesis of mesoporous tungsten carbide by an impregnation-compaction route, and its NH₃ decomposition catalytic activity

A mesoporous tungsten carbide (WC) with high surface area (138 m ² g^-1) has been synthesized at 700 °C using a modified template replicating route in which the pore entrances were sealed under external pressure after the W source impregnation. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and nitrogen sorption techniques were employed to characterize the replicated material. The prepared tungsten carbide with high surface area is well crystallized and has a partially ordered mesoporous structure. Temperature programmed reaction (TPR) and time-on-stream (TOS) results show that the prepared mesoporous tungsten carbide has high and stable catalytic activity for the decomposition reaction of NH₃, and the complete NH₃ decomposition temperature was obtained at 500 °C. This mesoporous WC appears to be a good catalyst for use for NH₃ decomposition.