A Joule-heated carbon nanofiber aerogel-supported catalyst for hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming

Copper (Cu)-containing catalysts are preferable in the methanol steam reforming (MSR) process because of their abundant sources, low cost, and high low-temperature activities. During operation, Cu-containing catalysts are typically heated by an external heat source and are most commonly used in their macroscopic powdered form, leading to uneven temperature distributions, nonuniform mass/heat transfer, slow heating rates, and difficult replacement. These issues must therefore be addressed in the design of specific catalysts for the MSR reaction. Herein, a three-dimensional Joule-heated carbon nanofiber aerogel (CNFA)-supported catalyst (Cu/CNFA-op10) was prepared by a facile one-pot method and followed by the catalytic evaluation. It was found that the even temperature distribution, effective heat/mass/electron transfer, and uniform distribution of the Cu nanoparticles, were responsible for the excellent catalytic activities. In addition, the deactivation of the CNFA-supported catalyst was also found and caused by the aggregation and sintering of Cu0/+ nanoparticles, the deposition of amorphous carbon on the surface of active sites, and the chemical state transition of the active particles. In this proof-of-concept demonstration, the high catalytic activity of the Joule-heating-driven catalyst provides a novel strategy for further designing and fabricating 3D monolithic catalysts related to the MSR reaction.