Hydrogen production from ethanol steam reforming over Co–Ce/sepiolite catalysts prepared by a surfactant assisted coprecipitation method

A series of Co–Ce/Sepiolite (SEP) catalysts were prepared by surfactant-assisted coprecipitation route and subsequently evaluated for hydrogen production from ethanol steam reforming. The effects of the types and quantities of surfactants such as Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) and Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) on catalysts microstructures were investigated by means of N 2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, H 2 -TPR, Raman, XPS, SEM, and TEM. The results demonstrated that the function of surfactants complexation with Co/Ce precursors enlarged the metal interparticle distance, led to the surface enrichment of Co/Ce atoms and provoked diverse Co–Ce interfaces, which could both enhance the reforming behavior and restrain the amorphous coke during reaction. Meanwhile, the optimal complexation effect of CTAB on Co–Ce/SEP-C0.4 (CTAB:M δ+ = 0.4) gave it superior reducibility, surface content of Co/Ce atoms and relative abundance of oxygen vacancies. Consequently, Co–Ce/SEP-C0.4 presented the best ethanol conversion (96.2%), hydrogen yield (77.9%) and the uppermost catalytic stability (100 h) during ESR reaction. In addition, the scatter modes of surface Co/Ce particles and forms of Co–Ce interfaces significantly depended on surfactant types. • Co–Ce/Sepiolite catalysts were prepared by surfactant assisted co-precipitation method. • The effects of the types and quantities of surfactants such as CTAB and PVP were investigated. • The complexing of surfactant and metal precursors enlarged metal interparticle distance. • The surface species rearrangement aroused diverse Co–Ce interfaces. • Co–Ce/SEP-C0.4 presented the superior catalytic performance during ESR.