Catalytic conversion of synthesis gas (CO+H2) into hydrocarbons, also known as Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, is a crucial reaction for the transformation of non-petroleum carbon resources such as coal, natural gas, shale gas, coal-bed gas and biogas, as well as biomass into liquid fuels and chemicals. Many factors can influence the catalytic behavior of a FT catalyst. This review highlights recent advances in understanding some key catalyst factors, including the chemical state of active phases, the promoters, the size and the microenvironment of active phase, which determine the CO conversion activity and the product selectivity, particularly the selectivity to C5+ hydrocarbons.
A remarkable solvent effect in a single-phase synthesis of monodisperse amine-capped Au nanoparticles is demonstrated.Oleylamine-capped Au nanoparticles were prepared via the reduction of HAuCU by an amine-borane complex in the presence of oleylamine in an organic solvent.When linear or planar hydrocarbon(e.g.,n-hexane,n-octane,1-octadecylene,benzene,and toluene) was used as the solvent, high-quality monodisperse Au nanoparticles with tunable sizes were obtained.However,Au nanoparticles with poor size dispersity were obtained when tetralin,chloroform or cyclohexane was used as the solvent.The revealed solvent effect allows the controlled synthesis of monodisperse Au nanoparticles with tunable size of 3-10 nm.
