Selective conversion of syngas to olefins-rich liquid fuels over core-shell FeMn@SiO2 catalysts

Converting syngas to value-added liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has attracted much attention, whereas direct obtaining target hydrocarbons remains a big challenge. In this work, a novel core-shell structured FeMn@SiO2 catalyst with adjustable shell thickness was prepared for the sustainable production of olefins-rich liquid fuels from syngas. The selectivity of C-5(+) hydrocarbons (liquid fuels) presented a volcanic trend with the thickening of SiO2 shell, which was attributed to a balancing effect between hydrogen enrichment and spatial restriction of SiO2 shell in the FeMn@SiO2 catalyst. After the encapsulation of optimized SiO2 on FeMn, an excellent C-5(+) liquid fuels selectivity of 71.8% with olefins selectivity of 72.5% at CO conversion of 67.2% could be obtained.