CeO₂ Nanorod-Supported Ni–Co Catalysts for Stable and Efficient Dry Reforming of Methane

As an extremely promising process for converting methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) to syngas, dry reforming of methane (DRM) has attracted considerable attention due to its wide industrial application. However, the performance of nickel-based catalysts in DRM is seriously restricted by carbon deposition, sintering, and poor long-term stability at high temperatures. Herein, CeO₂ nanorods were employed as support for Ni–Co catalysts. The current work not only stabilized the metal phase but also enhanced the CO₂ activation by the Ni–Co bimetallic system, therby effectively suppressed carbon deposition and enhancing both the thermal stability and catalytic performance. The 7Ni–Co/CeO₂ nanorod catalyst displayed excellent catalytic performance in DRM, which exhibited 91.8% CO₂ conversion and 90.2% CH₄ conversion at 800˚C, and the H₂/CO ratio was 0.86 with stable conversion for a long time. Meanwhile, it also displayed remarkable long-term stability in DRM. The 7Ni–Co/CeO₂ nanorod catalyst still had less than a 1% decrease in conversion after a 450 min reaction, and the carbon deposition was almost ignored. This work reported the first investigation of CeO₂ nanorods as support for Ni–Co catalysts, providing an effective approach for efficient and stable DRM in industrial application.