Plasma-assisted catalytic dry reforming of methane: Highly catalytic performance of nickel ferrite nanoparticles embedded in silica

Spinel nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe 2 O 4 NPs) embedded in silica (NiFe 2 O 4 #SiO 2 ) was prepared to enhance the reaction performance of the dry reforming of methane in a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor. NiFe 2 O 4 NPs of around 10 nm were effectively embedded in porous SiO 2 NPs (∼100 nm in diameter). Compared to the supported Ni-based catalysts (Ni/γ-Al 2 O 3 , Ni–Fe/γ-Al 2 O 3 , Ni–Fe/SiO 2 , and NiFe 2 O 4 ), the NiFe 2 O 4 #SiO 2 catalyst placed at the discharge zone exhibited excellent catalytic performance and high resistance to carbon formation during dry reforming under ambient conditions without the involvement of extra heat. The synergetic effect between the non-thermal plasma and the NiFe 2 O 4 #SiO 2 catalyst favored the conversion of CH 4 and CO 2 into syngas . The results indicated that the special structure of the as-synthesized NiFe 2 O 4 #SiO 2 catalyst was capable of restraining the aggregation of Ni–Fe alloy and suppressing the carbon formation in the reforming process.