Unravelling the Anomalous Coking Resistance over Boron Nitride- Supported Ni Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane

Metal oxides have been used as the supports for heterogeneous catalysis for many years, but they still suffer from coking in some high-temperature applications. The main reasons for coking are the uncontrollable dissociation of C-H and the overbalance between carbon deposition and removal. Herein, we find a boron nitride (BN)-immobilized Ni catalyst shows unprecedented coking resistance in dry reforming of methane via the incomplete decomposition of methane. Unlike the Ni-based catalysts supported by traditional metal oxides, BN-supported Ni accelerates the first C-H dissociation while inhibiting the breaking of the final C-H bond; hence, the suppression of the complete decomposition of methane thoroughly addresses the coking issue. This work reveals the fundamental reason for the coking resistance over BN-supported Ni catalysts is selective activation of the C-H bond, which can provide an inspiring idea for other applications.

Automated summary

Metal oxides have been used as supports for heterogeneous catalysis for many years, but they are prone to coking in high-temperature applications. In this study, we found that a boron nitride (BN)-immobilized nickel (Ni) catalyst exhibits remarkable coking resistance in dry reforming of methane. The key to this coking resistance lies in the selective activation of the C-H bond by the BN-supported Ni catalyst.