Traditionally metallic nickel is a very good catalyst for the hydrogenation of CO into methane and a poor catalyst for reactions such as the water-gas shift, or the reforming of alcohols and methane. At high temperature, metallic nickel is quite active for the cleavage of C-H bonds and the surface of the catalyst is usually deactivated by the deposition of coke. Recent studies performed in our laboratory indicate that mixed-metal oxides of the Ni-Ce-O type are excellent catalysts for the production of hydrogen through the dry reforming of methane (CH4 + CO2 à 2H2 + 2CO). These catalysts have high activity and stability and a lower cost than noble-metal based catalysts. The reforming of methane on different types of Ni-Ce-O catalysts was studied using in situ time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD), X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and near-atmospheric pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) with a focus on the structural characterization of the catalysts, the chemical identification of the reaction pathway and an understanding of the interaction between the Ni and CeO2 components. The behaviour seen for the Ni-Ce-O systems illustrates the positive effects derived from electronic metal-support interactions and points to a promising approach for improving or optimizing the performance of metal/oxide catalysts used in the reforming of methane

In-situ studies of Ni-Ce-O catalysts for the reforming of methane: Insights from TR-XRD, XANES, and NAP-XPS

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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