One-Step Synthesis of Highly Dispersed and Stable Ni Nanoparticles Confined by CeO2 on SiO2 for Dry Reforming of Methane

Chengyang Zhang,Luhui Wang,Renkun Zhang,Sha Cui,Dandan Gong,Liuye Mo,Hui Liu,Qinhong Wei,Hengcong Tao

doi:10.3390/en13225956

Abstract

Sintering and carbon deposition are the two main ways to deactivate Ni-based catalysts during methane reforming. Herein, a stable Ni-CeO2/SiO2(CSC) catalyst was prepared by a one-step colloidal solution combustion method (CSC) and used for dry reforming of methane. In the catalyst, the small Ni particles were confined by CeO2 particles and highly dispersed on the surface of SiO2, forming a spatial confinement structure with a rich Ni-CeO2 interface in the catalyst. The Ni-CeO2/SiO2(CSC) catalyst prepared by the one-step CSC method exhibited superior activity at 700 °C during dry reforming of methane, and the performance of the catalyst was stable after 20 h of reaction with only a small amount of carbon deposition present (1.8%). Due to the spatial confinement effect, Ni was stable and less than 5 nm during reaction. The small Ni particle size and rich Ni-CeO2 interface reduced the rate of carbon deposition. This colloidal combustion method could be applied to prepare stable metal-based catalysts with rich metal–oxide interfaces for high-temperature reactions.

Highlights

Due to abundant natural gas reserves, dry reforming of methane (DRM) has become a key research topic in recent years [1,2,3]
Ni-CeO2 /SiO2 (IM) catalyst, the Ni loadings determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) measurement are close to the theoretical value
Our result suggests the addition of colloidal SiO2 can increase the SBET and pore volume of the Ni-CeO2 (SC) catalyst

Summary

Introduction

Due to abundant natural gas reserves, dry reforming of methane (DRM) has become a key research topic in recent years [1,2,3]. This reaction can produce H2 and CO, while consuming CH4 and CO2 greenhouse gasses. Small Ni particles are resistant to carbon deposition during DRM [11]. Small nickel particles are sintered during the DRM reaction at high temperature, and the formation of large nickel particles leads to carbon deposition. Small and stable Ni particles are highly desired as Ni-based DRM catalysts [12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion