Confined Ni–In intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst for methane dry reforming

CO₂ and CH₃ are two main greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Fortunately, these two gases can be utilized in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, which was developed decades ago, and can thus be converted into a syngas mixture of CO and H₂. However, coke formation with Ni as a catalyst in DRM has hindered their application industrially.

Recently, a group led by Prof. Honggen Peng from Nanchang University reported a new confined In-Ni intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst (In_xNi@SiO₂) for DRM, which displayed superior coking resistance even after a 430-h-long stability test. The boosted carbon resistance can be attributed to two factors: the confinement of the core–shell structure and the transfer of electrons from In to Ni in the In-Ni intermetallic alloys due to the smaller electronegativity of In. The ability of Ni to activate C–H bonds and decrease the deep cracking process of methane is weakened owing to the silica shell and the increase in electron cloud density on the metallic Ni.

This work serves as a guide to design high performance coking resistance catalysts for  an effective DRM reaction.

 

About the journal

The Journal of Energy Chemistry is a publication that mainly reports on creative researches and innovativeapplications of chemical conversions of fossil energy, carbon dioxide, electrochemical energy and hydrogen energy,as well as the conversions of biomass and solar energy related with chemical issues to promote academicexchanges in the field of energy chemistry and to accelerate the exploration, research and development of energyscience and technologies.

 

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-energy-chemistry

 

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