Abstract: Ag-Ni bimetallic nano-catalysts were prepared using silica and kaolin as the support by adsorption phase synthesis. The activity of these catalysts was evaluated by liquid-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline. By changing the Ni content and Ni/Ag molar ratio in the catalysts, the differences of morphology and activity between the catalysts on two supports were investigated. The results of tempera-ture-programmed reduction and transmission electron microscopy indicate that the bimetallic catalysts show higher activity when Ni/Ag molar ratio is 5. There is an optimal Ni content in the catalysts on both silica and kaolin, which is 0.04% for kaolin and 0.03% for silica. The catalyst supported by kaolin is more active and has higher aniline yield than the catalyst supported on silica.

Key words: adsorption phase synthesis, sliver, nickel, bimetallic catalyst, nitrobenzene, liquid-phase hydrogenation