Ordered mesoporous Ni/La2O3 catalysts with interfacial synergism towards CO2 activation in dry reforming of methane.

• Mesoporous Ni/La 2 O 3 catalyst with large specific surface area was synthesized. • Superior coke resistance was demonstrated for dry reforming of methane. • The activation of CO 2 was promoted by the interface between Ni and La 2 O 3. • The increased interface was beneficial to suppress carbon deposition. This paper describes the synthesis of ordered mesoporous Ni/La 2 O 3 catalysts (denoted as Ni/La 2 O 3 -m) for dry reforming of methane and investigates the synergistic effect of Ni/La 2 O 3 interfaces on the activation of CO 2. The resultant nanostructured La 2 O 3 possessed high specific surface area of 211.5 m2/g, and Ni/La 2 O 3 -m catalysts maintained the initial morphology upon thermal treatment. The mesostructure was beneficial to obtain and maintain Ni nanoparticles with sizes between 4–6 nm. Ni/La 2 O 3 -m catalysts exhibited superior activity and stability in dry reforming of methane, showing excellent performance in activating both CH 4 and CO 2 due to more catalytically active Ni sites and increased interfaces. In situ DRIFTS indicated that bidentate carbonate participates in coke elimination. Combined with CO 2 -TPD and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we found that Ni/La 2 O 3 -m catalyst has stronger capability to promote the formation of bidentate carbonate due to the increased interfaces by enhancing Ni dispersion, which leads to better stability by suppressing the coke deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]