Sulfur-Accelerated Ceria Catalyst for Efficient CH4/CO2 Reforming: Unraveling the Special Role of Redox Functions and Its Reaction Mechanism

Sulfur poisoning remains a severe problem in industrial applications for CH4 dry reforming, and developing a highly active and durable catalyst is of great environmental importance. Meanwhile, designing a Lewis acid catalyst of CeO2 to replace traditional metal Ni for the challenging activation of CH4 is interesting. Herein, valuable insights into the role of H2S in promoting the catalytic activity of ceria catalysts for the dry reforming of methane are presented. Moreover, the special role of redox functions over the sulfur-accelerated CeO2 catalyst and its reaction mechanism are unraveled by using quasi in situ XPS, in situ CH4/CO2-TPSR, and in situ DRIFTS and DFT calculations. This work gives a distinctive example of a sulfur-accelerated ceria catalyst for efficient CH4/CO2 reforming.