[P09] Mechanistic study of Ni2P catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of methane
Keywords:Ni2P, dehydrogenative coupling of methane, density functional theory calculation
Ni2P catalyst has been reported to convert methane to ethane by dehydrogenative coupling. In this study, the reaction mechanism was analyzed using density functional theory calculations. The results show that (1) the C-H dissociation of methane tends to occur on the P atom on the Ni hollow site, (2) the rate-limiting process is methyl radical desorption to the gas phase, (3) ethane formation by the Eley-Rideal mechanism, and (4)coke formation may be accelerated by the loss of P atoms on the hollow site.