Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane Over Mesoporous $Ni/SiO_2$ Catalyst

Mesoporous $SiO_2$-supported Ni catalysts (Ni/$SiO_2$ and Ni/$TiO_2$/$SiO_2$) were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and their catalytic activity and stability were investigated in carbon dioxide reforming of methane (CRM) reaction at $800^{\circ}C$ The Ni/$SiO_2$ catalysts showed high stability as a result of confinement of Ni particles with a mean size of ~10 nm within the pores of $SiO_2$ support. Besides, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the Ni nanoparticles were partially buried inside the $SiO_2$ support. The strong interaction between Ni and the $SiO_2$ support could also be advantageous for long-term stability of the catalyst. In case of the Ni/$TiO_2$/$SiO_2$ catalyst, it was found that the catalytic activity of 10 nm-sized Ni nanoparticles was not much influenced by $TiO_2$ addition.