Preparation and characterization of coke resistant Ni/SiO 2 catalyst for carbon dioxide reforming of methane

Abstract

Silica supported Ni catalyst is highly active for the CO 2 reforming of methane but it has poor stability due to coke formation. In this work, a glow discharge plasma was applied for the decomposition of nickel nitrate on the SiO 2 support, followed by thermal calcination in air. The plasma treatment enhances the interactions between the Ni particles and the silica and significantly improves the Ni dispersion. The plasma-treated Ni/SiO 2 catalyst exhibits comparable activity to the Ni/SiO 2 catalyst prepared by the thermal method without plasma treatment. The coke resistance of the Ni/SiO 2 catalyst is significantly enhanced by the plasma treatment.