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To identify the synergistic action of differently prepared Ni-ZrO2 phase boundaries in methane dry reforming, we compared an “inverse” near-surface intermetallic NiZr catalyst precursor with the respective bulk-intermetallic NixZry material and a supported Ni-ZrO2 catalyst. In all three cases, stable and high methane dry reforming activity with enhanced anticoking properties can be assigned to the presence of extended Ni-ZrO2 phase boundaries, which result from in situ activation of the intermetallic Ni-Zr model catalyst systems under DRM conditions. All three catalysts operate bifunctionally; methane is essentially decomposed to carbon at the metallic Ni0 surface sites, whereas CO2 reacts to CO at reduced Zr centers induced by a spillover of carbon to the phase boundaries. On pure bulk Ni0, dissolved carbon accumulates in surface-near regions, leading to a sufficiently supersaturated state for completely surface-blocking graphitic carbon segregation. In strong contrast, surface-ZrO2 modified bulk Ni0 exhibits virtually the best decoking and carbon conversion conditions due to the presence of highly dispersed ZrO2 islands with a particularly large contribution of interfacial Ni0-ZrO2 sites and short C-diffusion pathways to the latter.

Starting from subsurface Zr0-doped “inverse” Pd and bulk-intermetallic Pd0Zr0 model catalyst precursors, we investigated the dry reforming reaction of methane (DRM) using synchrotron-based near ambient pressure in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS), in-situ X-ray diffraction and catalytic testing in an ultrahigh-vacuum-compatible recirculating batch reactor cell. Both intermetallic precursors develop a Pd0–ZrO2 phase boundary under realistic DRM conditions, whereby the oxidative segregation of ZrO2 from bulk intermetallic PdxZry leads to a highly active composite layer of carbide-modified Pd0 metal nanoparticles in contact with tetragonal ZrO2. This active state exhibits reaction rates exceeding those of a conventional supported Pd–ZrO2 reference catalyst and its high activity is unambiguously linked to the fast conversion of the highly reactive carbidic/dissolved C-species inside Pd0 toward CO at the Pd/ZrO2 phase boundary, which serves the role of providing efficient CO2 activation sites. In contrast, the near-surface intermetallic precursor decomposes toward ZrO2 islands at the surface of a quasi-infinite Pd0 metal bulk. Strongly delayed Pd carbide accumulation and thus carbon resegregation under reaction conditions leads to a much less active interfacial ZrO2–Pd0 state.