Methane Dry Reforming over Coke-Resistant Mesoporous Ni-Al2O3 Catalysts Prepared by Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly Method

Mesoporous Ni-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared in one pot following an evaporation-induced self-assembly method (EISA) and used for methane dry reforming. Compared with a traditional Ni/Al2O3 catalyst prepared through impregnation method (IMP), the EISA catalysts display significantly improved coke resistance and activity. It is revealed by small-angle XRD (SXRD), N-2 adsorption-desorption, and TEM that an ordered mesoporous structure was formed in the EISA catalysts, which impedes the aggregation of the Ni sites and aids in the mass transfer of the reaction. In addition, the Ni species in the reduced EISA samples more dispersed, more uniformly distributed, and have smaller crystallite size, as evidenced by XRD, H-2 adsorption-desorption, and TEM results. It is speculated that these are the major reasons accounting for the significantly improved dry reforming performance of the EISA catalysts.