Decoration of multiwall carbon nanotubes with nickel nanoparticles: effect of deposition strategy on metal dispersion and performance in the hydrogenation of p-chloroacetophenone

The sonochemical deposition of nickel nanoparticles onto the multiwall carbon nanotube aggregates leads to a uniformly distributed metal phase at high loadings and an average nickel crystal size of 4–8nm at a 25–50 wt% nickel content. Its application enhances the catalytic activity of Ni/multiwall carbon nanotube material in the selective hydrogenation of chloroacetophenone by factors of 2–18, as compared with that prepared by traditional decoration methods.