Hydrogen Production by Thermocatalytic Methane Decomposition

This article reports on the use of mesoporous carbons as catalysts for hydrogen production by thermocatalytic decomposition of methane. The prepared ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) and commercial carbon materials (including disordered microporous carbon, mesoporous carbon, and carbon nanotube) were tested for their catalytic activities for methane decomposition in a fixed-bed reactor. Characterizations by different techniques including gas adsorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were carried out for the pristine and used catalysts. Results showed that the initial activity was related to the chemical structure of the catalysts such as defects, while the long-term activity was related to the physical characteristics such as the BET surface area and pore volume. Unlike disordered carbons, OMCs with relatively larger uniform pores could maintain a steady catalytic activity for a longer time, followed by a sharp activity decline due to the blockage of most of the pores. It is conceived that by designing and preparing carbon materials with ideal pore systems using the replication method, it is possible to enhance the catalytic activity and stability of the reaction.