New isopropanol dehydration catalyst based on tungsten carbide prepared by modified self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

The W₂C/C catalytic system with a high specific surface area (55 m²/g) was synthesized for the first time using modified self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). The bulk and surface properties of the synthesized system were characterized using physicochemical methods and a model reaction of isopropanol conversion. It was found that the conversion of the alcohol with 100% selectivity occurs in the direction of dehydration with the formation of propylene and water. It was shown that active centers are the W(VI) surface ions of the carbide, whose activity is higher than the activity of tungsten as a constituent of the phase of WO₃.