Fluorescence measurement of benzene to cyclohexane conversion catalyzed by carbon nanotube-supported platinum nanoparticles

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported Pt nanoparticles with an average diameter of 3.8 {plus minus} 0.7 nm are synthesized using water-in-hexane microemulsion as a template. The Pt nanoparticles are distributed evenly on the outside surface of every CNT and exhibit high catalytic activities for hydrogenation reactions including conversion of benzene to cyclohexane. The kinetics of the conversion of benzene to cyclohexane catalyzed by the CNT-supported Pt catalyst was studied by proton NMR and by fluorescence, which is a good way of monitoring the decrease of benzene concentration in the system. The catalytic hydrogenation process follows a zero order reaction with a rate constant of 1.16 × 10-3 mole/h for neat benzene and 3.58 x 10-3 mole/h for benzene dissolved in ethanol.