February 5, 2021
Journal Article

Structure sensitivity and its effect on methane turnover and carbon co-product selectivity in thermocatalytic decomposition of methane over supported Ni catalysts

Abstract

Thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCD) is a promising approach for producing CO2-free hydrogen and solid carbon co-product. In this study, a series of Al2O3- and MgAl2O4-based Ni catalysts, prepared with varying synthesis and pretreatment methods, were evaluated for methane TCD performance at 650°C and characterized before and after reaction to elucidate activity-structure relationships. We found that methane TCD turnover increases with Ni particle size. Further, large Ni particle sizes (i.e., >20 nm) are selective toward the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), while small Ni particle sizes (i.e.,

Revised: December 30, 2020 | Published: February 5, 2021

Citation

Xu M., J.A. Lopez-Ruiz, L. Kovarik, M.E. Bowden, S.D. Davidson, R.S. Weber, and I. Wang, et al. 2021. Structure sensitivity and its effect on methane turnover and carbon co-product selectivity in thermocatalytic decomposition of methane over supported Ni catalysts. Applied Catalysis A: General 611. PNNL-SA-158733. doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2020.117967