CeO2 Nanorod@NiPhy Core-shell Catalyst for Methane Dry Reforming: Effect of Simultaneous Sintering Prevention of CeO2 Support and Active Ni

Preventing the sintering of nano-catalyst is crucial to maintain their performance especially for high-temperature reactions such as CO2 reforming of methane (DRM) reaction. In this paper, we design CeO2 nanorod@Ni phyllosilicate (CeO2@NiPhy) catalysts with different NiPhy shell thickness to simultaneously preserve the morphology of CeO2 nanorod and prevent the sintering of Ni. Compared with Ni/CeO2 supported catalyst, CeO2@NiPhy core-shell catalyst with a shell thickness of 9 nm exhibits much better performance for DRM with stable CH4 and CO2 conversions of 75 % and 80 % respectively and lower carbon deposition due to high Ni sintering resistance and higher thermal stability of CeO2 during calcination and DRM reaction thereby higher oxygen vacancies concentration. In-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra result demonstrates that DRM reaction takes place with a bi-functional mechanism on CeO2@NiPhy. This design strategy can be applied to prepare other nano-catalysts with high sintering resistance of both active metal and catalyst support for high-temperature applications.

Automated summary

In this study, CeO2 nanorod@Ni phyllosilicate (CeO2@NiPhy) catalysts were designed to preserve the morphology of CeO2 nanorod and prevent the sintering of Ni. By adjusting the shell thickness, the catalyst showed improved stability and performance in high-temperature CO2 reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, with higher catalytic activity and sintering resistance.