Effects of Ceria Morphology on Catalytic Performance of Ni/CeO2 Catalysts for Low Temperature Steam Reforming of Ethanol

The effects of ceria morphology on catalytic performance of Ni/CeO2 catalysts for low temperature steam reforming of ethanol are investigated. XRD analyses showed that Ni supported on CeO2 nanostructures (nanocube, nanorod and flower-like) exhibited a smaller Ni-0 crystallite size, which favoured ethanol decomposition at low temperatures as revealed by TPSR experiments. Moreover, regardless of ceria morphology, all catalysts deactivate during reaction at 300 A degrees C. However, the amount of carbon formed is higher over Ni supported on CeO2 nanocubes, which exhibited a higher formation of nickel carbide phase, as detected by XANES analyses. The nature and the amount of carbon formed depends on reaction temperature. Increasing reaction temperature increases the amount of carbon deposited and favores the formation of carbon filaments.