Neil Coville
School of Chemistry
Humphrey Raikes Bulding
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg 2050
South Africa
Office: 011 717 6738
Fax: 011 717 6749
Email: neil.coville@wits.ac.za
Position
Emeritus Professor
Qualifications
PhD Chemistry – McGill University
Background
The emphasis on our work is on (i) the synthesis of carbon materials for use as catalyst supports, for the fabrication of strong materials and for various materials and catalysis programmes (iii) the synthesis and study of catalysts of industrial interest with emphasis on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
The above studies entail the development of synthesis strategies to make shaped carbon materials (nanotubes, fibres, coils, spheres, hollow spheres) for use as supports. The FT studies focus on the use of carbon supports as model supports to investigate the effect of promoters, sintering, spillover and SMSI effects.
Employment History
Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Ad Hominem Professor; Chair of Inorganic Chemistry, Head of Department (1994-1996) from 1976 – 2011: Currently: Professor Emeritus (2012- ) (University of the Witwatersrand).
Publications
See web page for some examples
http://www.wits.ac.za/academic/science/chemistry/staff/6688/n_coville.html
Some recent papers dealing with catalysis listed below:
N. Chiwaye, L.L. Jewell, D.G. Billing, D. Naidoo, M. Ncube and N.J. Coville
In situ PXRD study of a Fe-Co/CaCO3 catalyst for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes
Materials Research Bulletin 56 (2014) 98–106
H. Xiong, M. Moyo, M. A. Motchelaho, Z. N. Tetana, S. M.A Dube, L. L. Jewell, N. J. Coville Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis: Iron catalysts supported on N-doped carbon spheres prepared by chemical vapour deposition and hydrothermal approaches
Journal of Catalysis 311 (2014) 80–87
H. Xiong, M. Moyo, M. A. Motchelaho, L. L. Jewell, N. J. Coville Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis: iron-based catalysts supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes synthesized by post-doping
Applied Catalysis A, 482 (2014) 377-386
M. K. Rayner, D. G. Billing and N. J. Coville.
In-situ XRD study on an Fe/TiO2 catalyst – activation studies
Acta Cryst B, B70 (2014) 498-509.
H. Xiong, L.L. Jewell. N.J. Coville
Shaped carbons as supports for the catalytic conversion of syngas to clean energy
ACS Catalysis, 5 (2015) 2640−2658
H. Xiong, M. A. Motchelaho, M. Moyo, L. L. Jewell, N.J. Coville
Fe/CNT catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch
synthesis: effect of group I alkali promoters
Fuel, 150 (2015) 687–696
N. R. Mathe, S. S. Nkosi, D. E. Motaung, M. R. Scriba, N. J.
Coville The Effect of Reducing Agents on the Electronic, Magnetic and Electrocatalytic Properties of Thiol-Capped Pt/Co and Pt/Ni Nanoparticles
Electrocatalysis 6 (2015) 274-285
M, W. Dlamini, D. O. Kumi, T. N. Phaahlamohlaka, A. Lyadov, D. G. Billing, L. L. Jewell, N. J. Coville
Carbon Spheres Prepared by Hydrothermal Synthesis—A Support for Bimetallic Iron Cobalt Fischer–Tropsch Catalysts
ChemCatChem 7 (2015) 3000–3011
W.M. Dlamini, N J Coville and M S Scurrell
Microwave radiation in the modification of iron Fischer- Tropsch catalysts
Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical 409 (2015) 19–25
