Recent Scientific Progress on Developing Supported Ni Catalysts for Dry (CO2) Reforming of Methane

Two major green house gases (CO2 and CH4) can be converted into useful synthetic gas (H2 and CO) during dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, and a lot of scientific efforts has been made to develop efficient catalysts for dry reforming of methane (DRM). Noble metal-based catalysts can effectively assist DRM reaction, however they are not economically viable. Alternatively, non-noble based catalysts have been studied so far, and supported Ni catalysts have been considered as a promising candidate for DRM catalyst. Main drawback of Ni catalysts is its catalytic instability under operating conditions of DRM (>700 °C). Recently, it has been demonstrated that the appropriate choice of metal-oxide supports can address this issue since the chemical and physical of metal-oxide supports can prevent coke formation and stabilize the small Ni nanoparticles under harsh conditions of DRM operation. This mini-review covers the recent scientific findings on the development of supported Ni catalysts for DRM reaction, including the synthetic methods of supported Ni nanoparticles with high sintering resistance.