Unveiling the interfacial polarization on Ni/SiC catalysts in microwave-assisted dry reforming of methane reaction

Ni/SiC catalysts were developed for low-temperature microwave-assisted DRM. • The interaction between microwave and Ni/SiC catalyst were revealed. • Ni/SiC interfacial polarization enhances DRM over conventional thermal. • Reactive intermediates (CH x O*, COOH*) were identified in microwave-assisted DRM. • Ea of CH 4 and CO 2 were decreased under microwave irradiation condition. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) reduces CH 4 and CO 2 emissions by producing syngas. Conventional thermal DRM requires temperatures above 973 K, leading to Ni sintering and carbon deposition. Developing Ni catalysts with high conversion at lower temperatures remains challenging. In this work, we developed Ni/SiC catalysts to investigate DRM under microwave irradiation conditions below 973 K. The Ni/SiC catalysts markedly enhanced performance of low-temperature DRM by microwave catalysis compared to conventional thermal catalysis. The comprehensive characterizations, including physicochemical properties, microwave adsorption properties, and in-situ DRIFTS, reveal that the performance enhancements are primarily attributed to interfacial polarization on the Ni-SiC surface, which generates microcurrent facilitating the formation of reactive intermediates (CH x O*, COOH*) and reducing the activation energies of CH 4 and CO 2 . The work highlights the significance of interfacial polarization on Ni/SiC catalysts in enhancing DRM performance, and the polarization strategy can be applied to other reactions under microwave irradiation conditions. Download: Download high-res image (223KB) Download: Download full-size image