Catalytic assessment of nanostructured Pt/xLa2O3-Al2O3 oxides for hydrogen production by dry reforming of methane: Effects of the lanthana content on the catalytic activity

Abstract

Abstract The effects of the lanthana content on the textural and structural properties of nanostructured Pt/xLa2O3-Al2O3 were studied. All catalysts were prepared by the sol-gel method using appropriate Al and La precursors. 1 wt.% of platinum was incorporated into the solids. The catalysts were investigated in detail by means of several characterization techniques such as XRD, ICP-OES, 27Al MAS NMR, N2 physisorption isotherms, HRTEM, XPS, TPR as well as CO DRIFTS, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. The results show that an increased activity during the dry reforming of methane was achivied due to the ability of the [LaPtOx]Pt0-like entity to eliminate the coke. The accessibility of Pt species to methane and to carbon dioxide promoted the reaction by adding an optimum La2O3 content of 12 wt.%.