Perovskite La2(NiCu)O4 catalyst precursors for dry reforming of methane: Effects of Cu-substitution on carbon resistance

Abstract

Exploring low-cost catalysts with low carbon deposition and high activity for dry reforming of methane (DRM) is of great importance in both industrial and academic fields. La2(Ni1-xCux)O4 (x = 0.0-0.4) perovskites were synthesized by a sol-gel self-combustion method and evaluated as catalyst precursors for DRM. The reduced La2(Ni0.8Cu0.2)O4 shows optimal performance with negligible carbon deposition, and the conversions of CH4 and CO2 are 73% and 80%, respectively. The remarkably improved carbon resistance of the reduced La2(Ni0.8Cu0.2)O4 is attributed to the small metallic particles obtained from the reduced perovskite and the surface segregation of Cu in the metallic Ni-Cu particles.