β-Si4Al2O2N6 supported Ni catalyst for enhanced ethanol steam reforming: Tuning metal-support interaction by high-temperature solution of Si3N4 with Al2O3

Abstract

Developing a high-performance Ni-based catalyst for ethanol steam reforming (ESR) reaction is desirable for sustainable hydrogen production. In this work, β-Si4Al2O2N6, the high-temperature solid solution of Si3N4 and Al2O3, was utilized as support to fabricate Ni catalyst (Ni/Si4Al2O2N6) for ESR reaction to enhance hydrogen-production efficiency. The catalytic experiments demonstrated that Ni/Si4Al2O2N6 catalyst exhibited higher C–C bond cleavage capacity, hydrogen-production efficiency, catalytic durability and better anti-coke performance as compared with Ni/Si3N4 and Ni/Al2O3 catalysts. H2-TPR, XPS and NH3-TPD studies revealed that the stronger metal-support interaction (MSI) in Ni/Si4Al2O2N6 catalysts induced more distinct charge transfer from Ni species to Si4Al2O2N6 support, fabricating Ni active sites with higher oxidation state and achieving higher catalytic activity and durability for ESR reaction.