Cu-Ni@ SiO2 alloy nanocomposites for methane dry reforming catalysis

Cu-Ni alloy nanoparticles (12 +/- 3 nm) encapsulated in a silica shell have been successfully synthesized through amicroemulsion method followed by polymerization of TEOS. The morphologies of the CuNi@ SiO2 nanocomposites can be controlled by tuning the metal ion concentrations. The alloy nanostructure shows a superior performance in catalytic methane dry reforming to the pure Ni nanocomposite catalyst.