Ni-based catalyst supported on ordered mesoporous Al2O3 for dry CH4 reforming: Effect of the pore structure

Ni-based catalysts supported on ordered mesoporous Al 2 O 3 with 2-D hexagonal and 3-D cubic pore structures are synthesized via evaporation-induced self-assembly for catalyzing dry CH 4 reforming to produce syngas . The Ni–Al 2 O 3 catalysts with 3-D pore structure exhibit higher activity in terms of CH 4 and CO 2 conversions than those with 2-D pore symmetry, due to the better mass transfer of the 3-D interconnected pore structure for the accessibility of Ni 0 active sites. And a higher Ni content slightly promotes catalytic activity , owing to more exposed active sites. However, a higher Ni content causes more severe carbon deposition during long-term reaction. During the long-term stability tests, the catalysts with 2.5 wt% Ni maintain the highest stability regardless of the pore structure, and the catalyst with 3-D pore structure is more advantageous to both activity and stability. Meanwhile, the catalyst with 2.5 wt% Ni and 3-D pore structure shows the lowest carbon deposition.