Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Coke

Nickel

Composite number

Decomposition

Engineering

Catalysis

Carbon fibers

Composite material

Syngas

Raw material

Chemistry

Metallurgy

Materials science

Chemical engineering

Methane

Carbon dioxide reforming

Nature Communications

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an attractive route to utilize CO 2 as a chemical feedstock with which to convert CH 4 into valuable syngas and simultaneously mitigate both greenhouse gases. Ni-based DRM catalysts are promising due to their high activity and low cost, but suffer from poor stability due to coke formation which has hindered their commercialization. Herein, we report that atomically dispersed Ni single atoms, stabilized by interaction with Ce-doped hydroxyapatite, are highly active and coke-resistant catalytic sites for DRM. Experimental and computational studies reveal that isolated Ni atoms are intrinsically coke-resistant due to their unique ability to only activate the first C-H bond in CH 4 , thus avoiding methane deep decomposition into carbon. This discovery offers new opportunities to develop large-scale DRM processes using earth abundant catalysts.

Atomically dispersed nickel as coke-resistant active sites for methane dry reforming