Ce-induced synergistic effect in exsolved perovskite catalyst for highly efficient and robust methane dry reforming
- Chencun Hao
- Zhiyu Qu
- Louise R. Smith
- Nicholas F. Dummer
- Haifeng Qi
- Thomas J. A. Slater
- Zhiping Zhu
- Riguang Zhang
- Zhao Sun
- Zhiqiang Sun
- Graham J. Hutchings
2025-11-27
Dry reforming of methane is an effective approach to convert two major greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide, into high-value syngas, used as a feedstock for bulk and fine chemical synthesis. However, catalyst deactivation and carbon deposition under harsh conditions hinder its industrialization process. Herein, we present a Ce-modified and Ni-exsolved perovskite catalyst, 0.2Ce-La 0.97 Ni 0.4 Cr 0.6 O 3 , for achieving highly efficient and robust CH 4 -CO 2 reforming with CH 4 and CO 2 conversions of 87.4% and 92.9% at 800 °C, respectively. Moreover, this unique catalyst exhibits remarkable stability, maintaining its superior activity over 800 h. Characterization and density functional theory reveal that two Ce species are present: surface oxygen vacancy-moderate CeO 2- x (Ce surf ) and bulk lattice Ce (Ce bulk ). These play a specific role in methane dry reforming, where the Ce surf promotes CO 2 adsorption and hinders carbon deposition, while Ce bulk induces lattice strain and Ni exsolution, key factors contributing to the high activity and stability.