High Activity of Ce1−xNixO2−y for H2 Production through Ethanol Steam Reforming: Tuning Catalytic Performance through Metal–Oxide Interactions

The importance of the oxide: Ce0.8Ni0.2O2−y is an excellent catalyst for ethanol steam reforming (see graph). Metal–oxide interactions perturb the electronic properties of the small particles of metallic nickel present in the catalyst under the reaction conditions and thus suppress any methanation activity. The nickel embedded in ceria induces the formation of O vacancies, which facilitate cleavage of the OH bonds in ethanol and water.