Enhanced syngas ( H2/CO) production by Co/CeO2 nanorods catalyst through dry reforming of methane

Abstract

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of the Co supported on CeO2 nanorods (NR) catalyst to investigate catalytic performance towards efficient hydrogen production. The catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Temperature-programmed reduction measurements showed that the Co/CeO2-NR active phase was reduced below 500°C. Adding Co to CeO2-NR enhances the basicity of the raw CeO2-NR and greatly improves the conversion to 70% for CO2 and 55% for CH4. In addition, density functional theory calculations using Halgren–Lipscomb indicate electron donation from Co to CeO2-NR promotes feasible breaking of C–H bonds.