Improved Effect of Fe on the Stable NiFe/Al2O3 Catalyst in Low-Temperature Dry Reforming of Methane

Bimetallic catalysts with alloy structure have been extensively explored to tailor and boost the catalytic performance of the dry reforming of methane. Herein, NiFe/Al2O3 catalyst was designed from an aluminum gel with metal nitrate in a triblock copolymer solution by an evaporation-induced self-assembly process and calcination for the low-temperature dry reforming of methane (LT-DRM). The resultant NiFe/Al2O3 exhibited a large surface area of 203 m2 g–1 and porosity of 0.8 cm3 g–1. Bimetallic NiFe/Al2O3 promoted CH4 and CO2 conversion as well as the H2/CO ratio relative to monometallic Ni/Al2O3. CH4 and CO2 conversion on the NiFe/Al2O3 was 26.6 and 37.8% with a H2/CO ratio of 0.67 at 550 °C. Furthermore, NiFe/Al2O3 possessed good stability at 450 °C during LT-DRM reaction for 20 h. The Ni3Fe alloy structure is favorable for the resistance of oxidation and coke deposition. This work sheds light on the sophisticated design of the alloy structure of the bimetallic catalyst for efficient and stable catalytic performances.