Atomically dispersed nickel as coke-resistant active sites for methane dry reforming

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 5181 - 10
• Main Authors: Akri, Mohcin, Zhao, Shu, Li, Xiaoyu, Zang, Ketao, Lee, Adam F., Isaacs, Mark A., Xi, Wei, Gangarajula, Yuvaraj, Luo, Jun, Ren, Yujing, Cui, Yi-Tao, Li, Lei, Su, Yang, Pan, Xiaoli, Wen, Wu, Pan, Yang, Wilson, Karen, Li, Lin, Qiao, Botao, Ishii, Hirofumi, Liao, Yen-Fa, Wang, Aiqin, Wang, Xiaodong, Zhang, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15.11.2019; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 119/118; 140/133; 140/146; 147/137; 639/301/299; 639/638/77/884; 639/638/77/887; 639/925/357; Active sites; Carbon dioxide; Catalysis; Catalysts; Cerium; Clean technology; Coke; Commercialization; Computer applications; Dispersion; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; High temperature; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogen bonds; Hydroxyapatite; Laboratories; Methane; Microscopy; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Nickel; Organic chemistry; Porous materials; Radiation; Reforming; Research centers; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sintering; Synthesis gas
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12843-w

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an attractive route to utilize CO 2 as a chemical feedstock with which to convert CH 4 into valuable syngas and simultaneously mitigate both greenhouse gases. Ni-based DRM catalysts are promising due to their high activity and low cost, but suffer from poor stability due to coke formation which has hindered their commercialization. Herein, we report that atomically dispersed Ni single atoms, stabilized by interaction with Ce-doped hydroxyapatite, are highly active and coke-resistant catalytic sites for DRM. Experimental and computational studies reveal that isolated Ni atoms are intrinsically coke-resistant due to their unique ability to only activate the first C-H bond in CH 4 , thus avoiding methane deep decomposition into carbon. This discovery offers new opportunities to develop large-scale DRM processes using earth abundant catalysts. While dry reforming of methane, the reaction of CH 4 and CO 2 to create CO and H 2 , is a promising reaction for industry, coke buildup often deactivates catalysts and limits commercialization. Here, authors report single-atom nickel on Ce-doped hydroxyapatite as a coke-resistant catalyst.