ABSTRACT The partial oxidation of methane (POM) to syngas is a technologically attractive route for H 2 production; however, its practical implementation is hindered by catalyst deactivation, carbon deposition and limited long‐term stability. Herein, we elucidate the promotional role of strontium (Sr) in enhancing the structural and catalytic properties of Ni/ZrO 2 ‐SiO 2 catalysts. Sr incorporation modulates the electronic structure and redox behavior of the catalyst by strengthening metal‐support interactions and promoting oxygen mobility. Notably, Sr induces the formation of oxygen vacancies, thereby increasing the availability of reactive lattice oxygen species (O 2− /O 2 2− ), which facilitates CH 4 activation and suppresses coke formation. Comprehensive characterization using XPS, TPR and XRD demonstrates that Sr enhances Ni reducibility and stabilizes active sites through surface electronic modification. Among the investigated catalysts, Ni3Sr/SZ (3 wt.% Sr) exhibits optimal performance, achieving 54.0% CH 4 conversion and 52.0% H 2 yield with a H 2 /CO ratio of 2.6 at 600°C under CH 4 :O 2 = 2:1 condition, corresponding to an enhancement of > 15% compared to the unpromoted system. Furthermore, the catalyst maintains stable activity over 250 min without noticeable deactivation, attributable to its improved resistance to carbon accumulation. The superior performance is ascribed to the synergistic interplay between enhanced oxygen mobility, increased oxygen vacancy concentration, and strengthened metal‐support interactions. This work provides fundamental mechanistic insights into Sr‐promoted Ni catalysts and offers a scalable strategy for the rational design of robust catalytic systems for hydrogen‐rich syngas production, with potential applications in Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis and fuel cell technologies.
Alwadai et al. (Mon,) studied this question.