Plasma-Catalytic Conversion of CO2 and H2O into H2, CO, and Traces of CH4 over NiO/Cordierite Catalysts

Plasma-catalytic conversion of CO2 and H2O into energy gases at room temperature was studied in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. CO, H2, and traces of CH4 were observed as the products in an argon atmosphere. Moreover, NiO with different morphologies was prepared and loaded on cordierite as catalysts. Compared with NiO-grain and NiO-sheet, NiO-sphere showed higher catalytic performance; the yields of H2, CO, and CH4 were 354.3, 21.0, and 0.061 μmol·h–1·gcat–1, respectively. Characterization indicated that highly dispersed NiO nanoclusters, chemical adsorption of CO2, and defect formation may be the factors that promoted the catalytic performance. Subsequently, a kinetic analysis was performed for further understanding the reaction process.