Supported Nanoparticles for Fuel Synthesis

This chapter has been written as an introductory on the preparation method of supported iron and cobalt oxides nanocatalysts. It begins with an overview on the gas-to-liquid (GTL) process. Emphasis is given on the catalysis for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. Both the iron and cobalt-based catalysts have their own merits and features of these catalyst systems are highlighted. The spherical-model catalyst approach has been adopted as it can bridge the gap between the well-defined single crystal surfaces and those poorly-defined complex industrial catalysts. The synthesis methods for the oxide-supported nanoparticles of iron and cobalt oxides described in this chapter include the colloidal, reverse microemulsion, ammonia deposition, impregnation, precipitation and strong electrostatic adsorption. The application of electron microscopy techniques on the morphological characterization of supported nanoparticles are illustrated in this chapter.