Relationship Between the Pore Structure of Mesoporous Silica Supports and the Activity of Nickel Nanocatalysts in the CO2 Reforming of Methane

Abstract

The question remains over the role of the pore structure of the support material on the catalytic behaviour of Ni catalysts during the CO2/dry reforming of methane (DRM). For this reason, a series of mesoporous materials with different pore structures, namely MCM-41, KIT-6, tri-modal porous silica (TMS), SBA-15 and mesostructured cellular foams (MCFs) were synthesised via hydrothermal synthesis methods and further impregnated with 15 wt.% NiO (11.8 wt.% Ni). It was observed that synthesised TMS is a promising catalyst support for DRM as Ni/TMS gave the highest activity and stability among these materials as well as the Ni catalysts supported on classic ordered mesoporous silicates support reported in the literature at the relatively low temperature (700 °C). On the other hand, Ni supported on CMC-41 exhibited the lowest activity among them. To understand the reason for this difference, the physicochemical properties of these materials were characterised in detail. The results show that the thickness of the silica wall and the pore size of the support material play a critical role in the catalytic activity of Ni catalysts in the CO2 reforming of methane.

Composite materials made from glass microballoons and ceramic nanofibers for use as catalysts and catalyst supports

“…The high activity of the fiber/GMB composite material may be due to the higher resident time of reactants at the catalyst surface or due to the more favorable energy state of the nanofiber surface. The activities found for the composite material are comparable to other silica-supported nickel-based catalysts in steam-reforming processes [10], and the conversion is also comparable to nickel nanoparticles with no support material [30]. These preliminary data suggest that a composite structure silica fibers and GMBs may function as a suitable support material for steam methane reformation and similar processes.…”

“…Many processes that use nickel-based catalysts, such as methane reforming and CO 2 methanation, are hindered by sintering of the nickel particles at high temperatures [9]. Silica, specifically mesoporous SBA-15, has been shown to be a suitable support for nickel in these applications as dispersion of the nickel particles prevents sintering and allows for the preservation of a greater number of active sites [10][11][12][13][14]. As such, GMBs may have similar success as a support material for nickel and NiO.…”

Sol-Gel-Prepared Ni-Mo-Mg-O System for Catalytic Transformation of Chlorinated Organic Wastes into Nanostructured Carbon

“…Efficiency of the Ni-based catalysts in relation to various processes is widely discussed in the literature [ 39 ]. The porous structure of the support plays a tremendous role in both the activity and stability of the catalysts.…”

“…It can be concluded that the sol-gel technique provided the synthesis of a more efficient catalytic system, which yielded a higher relative amount of nanostructured carbon. Efficiency of the Ni-based catalysts in relation to various processes is widely discussed in the literature [39]. The porous structure of the support plays a tremendous role in both the activity and stability of the catalysts.…”

A Mini-Review on CO2 Reforming of Methane

“…Admittedly, on a mole for mole basis, Ni is about 10000 times cheaper than Pt and 200 times cheaper than Pd [34]. Therefore, from practical and industrial viewpoints, Ni-based catalysts are the most attractive and promising for DRM [2,35].…”