Carbon-confined Ni based catalyst by auto-reduction for low-temperature dry reforming of methane

Producing syngas from dry reforming of methane is fascinating but challenging because of coking and sintering. Here, carbonising Ni based catalysts by auto-reduction are fabricated and applied to low-temperature DRM reaction. The catalytic structure–function relationship including the effects of carbonising temperature on carbon structure is investigated and rendered in detail. Ultimately, the carbon-confined catalysts boost DRM reaction at a relatively low temperature of 600 °C and effectively convert greenhouse gases to syngas. The carbon layers obtained by carbonising metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) precursor act as a shell protecting fine Ni nanoparticles (NPs) from reaction-induced reshaping, agglomeration, and coking. This work not only identifies an energy-conserving process for the utilization of greenhouse gases, but also reveals the sintering and coking can be restricted by carbon confinement effect.