Photothermal dry reforming of methane reaction over (Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalysts: The Ni content regulation

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) converts CH4 and CO2 to syngas. Photothermal DRM, which integrates temperature and light, is a sustainable method for storing solar energy in molecules. However, challenges such as limited light absorption, low photocarrier separation efficiency, Ni sintering, and carbon deposition hinder DRM stability. Herein, we regulated Ni contents in (Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalysts to enhance the optical characteristics while addressing Ni sintering and carbon deposition issues. The (3Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalyst had insufficient Ni content, while the (9Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalyst showed excessive carbon deposition, leading to lower stability compared to the (6Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalyst, which achieved CH4 and CO2 rates to 231.0 μmol gcat−1 s−1 and 294.3 μmol gcat−1 s−1, respectively, at 973 K, with only 0.2 wt.% carbon deposition and no Ni sintering. This work adjusted Ni contents in (Ni/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2)@SiO2 catalysts to enhance DRM performance, which has implications for improving other reactions.