The tailored role of “defect” sites on γ-alumina: A key to yield an efficient methane dry reforming catalyst with superior nickel utilization

Strong metal support interaction between Ni and γ-Al2O3, resulted from the excessive hydroxyl groups on the Al2O3 support, has restricted Ni utilization in the traditional Ni/Al2O3 catalyst, which hampered its commercial application. Meanwhile, the concept of surface defects in activating single-carbon chemicals of CH4 and CO2 has attracted much attention in heterogeneous catalysis. Thus, designing better Ni/Al2O3 system in generating surface defects without losing active Ni into Al2O3 support remains challenging. Herein, the development of tailored defect sites on Al2O3 through hydroxyl-exposed strategy shows dual role of stabilizing the active Ni sites and holding responsible for catalyzing CH4 dry reforming (DRM) reaction via a more efficient route, which emphasizes the superior behavior of the traditional Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. It is considered that it can be appropriately used for reactions using not only excellent DRM catalysts but also other Ni catalysts.