Unraveling the effects of Ce/Zr molar ratio in mesoporous CexZr1-xO2 on the performance of dry reforming of methane over the supported Ni catalysts

Ni supported on the ordered mesoporous CexZr1-xO2 with various Ce/Zr molar ratios prepared by a programmed evaporation-induced self-assembly method were employed for dry reforming of methane. The systematical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, Raman, transmission electron microscope, chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrum, thermogravimetric analysis, etc. were used to clarify the structure-activity relationship. It was found that the prepared catalysts all had highly ordered mesoporous structures, and compared to the sole ZrO2 and CeO2, the CeO2-ZrO2 composites exhibited the best thermal stability, stronger basicity, and greater oxygen migration. Especially, the composite with Ce/Zr ratio of 1/4 possessed the suitable basicity and most oxygen vacancies, which were closely related to the excellent anti-carbon ability. Moreover, its supported catalyst had the strongest metal-support interaction and highest Ni dispersion. Expectedly, the catalyst showed the superior activity and the robust stability for at least 1800 min (c) 2023 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.