Mesoporous Ni(OH) 2 /CeNi x O y Composites Derived Ni/CeNi x O y Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane

Designing stable nickel‐based catalysts is critical for dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide (DRM) to produce fuels and chemicals. Herein, mesoporous Ni(OH) 2 /CeNi x O y composites were prepared by a one‐pot hydrothermal synthetic route. Aggregation of Ni(OH) 2 nanoplates and CeNi x O y nanocrystals generates mesopores from the void space and creates a surface area as high as 138 m 2  g −1 . With the Ni content in the range of 0.7–12.5 %, the mesoporous structure is stable after reduction with the highest surface area as 94 m 2  g −1 . Reduction of Ni(OH) 2 /CeNi x O y composites at 500 °C converts Ni(OH) 2 nanoplates into Ni nanoparticles. The size of the reduced Ni nanoparticles was controlled from 10 to 140 nm by adjusting the Ni loading from 0.7 to 42.7 %. The catalysts with Ni/(Ni+Ce) ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, 0.4 Ni/CeNi x O y and 0.5 Ni/CeNi x O y , respectively, exhibit enhanced catalytic performance for DRM reaction with their activities 3–5 times as high as those of 0.6 Ni/CeNi x O y and 0.8 Ni/CeNi x O y catalysts, owing to the good dispersion of 10 nm Ni nanoparticles within mesoporous CeNi x O y . Furthermore, the 0.5 Ni/CeNi x O y catalyst is very stable for DRM for 140 h. The robust stability of 0.5 Ni/CeNi x O y catalyst possibly stems from the strong interactions between Ni nanoparticles and the CeNi x O y surface, which stabilize Ni nanoparticles during DRM reaction.