Achievements and Innovation

MAIN SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

Microwave irradiation synthesis method for the obtaining of inorganic materials, in
particular, nano powders of transitional metal carbides, borides has been
developed. The obtained materials, especially some of the carbides, have shown
high catalytic activity in different chemical reactions. Some of the borides are super-hard materials.

In addition, a new approach is being investigated, obtaining
transition metal nitrides and phosphides.
Molybdenum and tungsten carbides with nickel atoms (Ni-Mo2C), (Ni-WC), and
Mo2C-Al2O3 embedded in the lattice were synthesized. The composition of the
obtained catalysts was confirmed using modern physicochemical methods of
analysis.
The systems obtained were studied in the model reaction of hydrazine
decomposition. Our partners from the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State
The university tested these systems as catalysts for reactions of isomerization and in
the hydrogenation reactions of model mixtures of organic substrates: olefins,
aromatic, sulfur-containing compounds. The activity of catalysts duringthe 
hydrodesulfurization of a real hydrocarbon fraction (thiophene and
dibenzothiophene) of straight-run diesel fractions with different initial sulfur
contents was studied as well. The experiments showed that the obtained systems
have high catalytic activity in the reactions with using hydrogen. Additionally, we
have used our catalytic systems in the model reaction of naphthalene
hydrogenation and achieved interesting results, the expansion of which are further
investigated and applied to other model reactions.
The catalytic activity of tungsten carbide (WC) as well as other transition metal
carbides were obtained using the microwave method, which is a novel approach for
obtaining transition metal carbides. Additionally, we have obtained Ni-Mo2C
bimetallic mixed carbides using the latter method, the properties of which are also

investigated. In addition, transition metal borides and composites, like ReB2-B4C
were also synthesized and showed interesting properties, particularly their
microhardness by Vickers is around 50 GPa, thereby it can be considered
superhard.
In order to obtain high-quality inexpensive catalysts for oil component reforming,
nanosized molybdenum (α-Mo2C) and tungsten (α-W2C) carbides with an average
particle size of 17 nm and a surface area of about 70 m2/g have been synthesized.
Nanosized carbides show high catalytic activity and stability in the dehydrogenation
of cyclohexane to form benzene (S = 100% with conversion 90%) and
dehydrocyclization of n-heptane to toluene (S = 30% with conversion 80%).
The pyrolysis and oxidative pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is studied. After
obtaining the endo-product of biomass pyrolysis – bio-oil, several methods of
upgrading the bio-oil are investigated, particularly hydrogenation and
hydrodeoxygenation are the primarily investigated methods. After the upgrading of
bio-oil, we implement our catalysts to obtain biofuel and chemicals of high added
value.

INNOVATION ACTIVITY:

Currently, the laboratory is developing new approaches for obtaining transition
metal carbide, boride, nitride, and phosphide nanopowder catalysts from various
raw materials based onthe microwave-assisted synthesis method. In addition, the
catalysts are tested on model reactions like naphthalene hydrogenation, guaiacol
hydrodeoxygenation, etc., using various techniques and devices like FlowCAT High
Pressure catalysis platform, which allows us to understand the mechanism of the
catalytic reactions. Moreover, we are also investigating catalytic reactions using
our catalysts in custom-based bench-top reactors, understanding, estimating and
adapting the activity and selectivity of our catalysts.