Deactivation of SiO2 supported Ni catalysts by structural change in the direct internal reforming reaction of molten carbonate fuel cell

Abstract

A direct internal reforming (DIR) reaction for a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) is carried out using SiO2 supported catalysts, which are known to be a highly stable in catalytic reactions. The SiO2 supported Ni catalysts rapidly deactivate in DIR-MCFC. To elucidate the mechanism of the catalyst deactivation, various characteristic analyses (XRD, BET, H2-chemisorption, FT-IR, and SEM) of calcined and used catalysts are employed. The co-existence of H2O and K causes the formation of the non-active nickel oxide and silica hydrate resulting in the significant decrease of Ni dispersion and BET surface area.