Mesoporous Ni(OH)2/CeNixOy Composites Derived Ni/CeNixOy Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane

Designing stable nickel-based catalysts is critical for dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide (DRM) to produce fuels and chemicals. Herein, mesoporous Ni(OH)(2)/CeNixOy composites were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal synthetic route. Aggregation of Ni(OH)(2) nanoplates and CeNixOy nanocrystals generates mesopores from the void space and creates a surface area as high as 138m(2)g(-1). With the Ni content in the range of 0.7-12.5%, the mesoporous structure is stable after reduction with the highest surface area as 94m(2)g(-1). Reduction of Ni(OH)(2)/CeNixOy composites at 500 degrees C converts Ni(OH)(2) nanoplates into Ni nanoparticles. The size of the reduced Ni nanoparticles was controlled from 10 to 140nm by adjusting the Ni loading from 0.7 to 42.7%. The catalysts with Ni/(Ni+Ce) ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, 0.4Ni/CeNixOy and 0.5Ni/CeNixOy, respectively, exhibit enhanced catalytic performance for DRM reaction with their activities 3-5 times as high as those of 0.6Ni/CeNixOy and 0.8Ni/CeNixOy catalysts, owing to the good dispersion of 10nm Ni nanoparticles within mesoporous CeNixOy. Furthermore, the 0.5Ni/CeNixOy catalyst is very stable for DRM for 140h. The robust stability of 0.5Ni/CeNixOy catalyst possibly stems from the strong interactions between Ni nanoparticles and the CeNixOy surface, which stabilize Ni nanoparticles during DRM reaction.