LaFeyNi1-yO3 supported nickel catalysts used for steam reforming of ethanol

LaFeyNi1-yO3 perovskite-type oxide supported highly dispersed NiO catalysts were prepared by one-step citric-complexing method, and applied to the steam reforming of ethanol for hydrogen production. NiO/LaFeO3 prepared by impregnation was also presented for comparison. The XRD and TEM results indicate that one-step citric-complexing method is a simple as well as an effective way for producing well-dispersed NiO particles supported on perovskite oxides. The dispersive NiO particles tend to interact with the perovskite oxide and partially incorporate into the perovskite structure, leading to the formation of LaFeyNi1-yO3 and some resultantly separated Fe ions onto the perovskite surface. The smaller the NiO particles are, the easier the incorporation is. The catalystic performance tests showed that the high activities of NiO/LaFeyNi1-yO3 were attributed to the metallic Ni with high dispersion. The CH4 selectivity was sensitive to the particle sizes of supported Ni, and the smaller nickel particles favor the lower amount of methane formed. Characterizations of used catalysts indicated that the sintering of nickel particles was not significant even at the high reaction temperature. The LaFeyNi1-yO3 supported nickel catalysts exhibited very good carbon deposition resistance, which could be ascribed to the highly dispersed Ni particles and the formation of oxygen vacancies in LaFeyNi1-yO3 due to the partial substitution of Ni ions for Fe ions. (C) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.