Light-Driven Hydrogen Production from Steam Methane Reforming via Bimetallic PdNi Catalysts Derived from Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets

Steam methane reforming is one of the primary industrial hydrogen sources but depends upon high temperatures to activate the inert C–H bonds in methane, motivating novel methods to achieve more sustainable methane activation and hydrogen production. Here, we prepared a PdNi bimetallic catalyst derived from layered double hydroxides for light-driven steam methane reforming, achieving a hydrogen production rate of 82.9 mmol g–1 h–1 at 300 °C under xenon lamp illumination. Outdoor condensed sunlight irradiation further delivered a hydrogen production rate of up to 260.9 mmol g–1 h–1. Both temperature-programmed desorption and density functional theory calculations indicated that Pd doping enhances the adsorption and activation of inert methane molecules, promoting hydrogen production via the reforming process. These results provide a reference for the direct utilization of solar energy to produce hydrogen from earth-abundant natural gas and water sources.