Perovskite La2(NiCu)O4 catalyst precursors for dry reforming of methane: effects of Cu-substitution on carbon resistance

Exploring low-cost catalysts with low carbon deposition and high activity for dry reforming of methane (DRM) is of great importance in both industrial and academic fields. La-2(Ni(1-x)Cux)O-4 (x = 0.0-0.4) perovskites were synthesized by a sol-gel self-combustion method and evaluated as catalyst precursors for DRM. The reduced La-2(Ni0.8Cu0.2)O-4 shows optimal performance with negligible carbon deposition, and the conversions of CH4 and CO2 are 73% and 80%, respectively. The remarkably improved carbon resistance of the reduced La-2(Ni0.8Cu0.2)O-4 is attributed to the small metallic particles obtained from the reduced perovskite and the surface segregation of Cu in the metallic Ni-Cu particles.