Effect of CeO₂ Morphology in Catalytic Performance via Methanol Oxidative Steam Reforming for Hydrogen Production

Abstract

Methanol-based hydrogen production, including reforming, offers the advantage of yielding products with lower CO, CH 4 , and CO 2 contents, thereby reducing environmental pollution. CeO 2 is extensively employed in catalytic reforming due to its rich oxygen vacancies. However, the morphology of CeO 2 influences the oxygen vacancy content, as well as the dispersion and stability of active metal species, ultimately affecting the catalyst's performance. In this letter, we synthesized three Ni/CeO 2 catalysts with distinct morphologies (sheet, particle, and cube) and explored their catalytic activity in the oxidative steam reforming of methanol for hydrogen generation. Among the three catalysts, Ni/CeO 2 −NS exhibited a superior surface area and the high oxygen vacancy content effectively anchors Ni on the surface of CeO 2 − NS, which can better activate water and oxygen molecules in methanol oxidative steam reforming. It exhibited the highest H 2 production rate (3568.8−3729.74 mmol gcat −1 min −1 ) and methanol conversion (99.13−99.71%) at 450−600 °C. Furthermore, only marginal mass losses were observed for Ni/CeO 2 −NS (1.81%), indicating minimal carbon decomposition.