Methanation of CO2 over nanostructured nickel-4f block element bimetallic oxides

Nanostructure nickel-4f block element bimetallic oxides were prepared by electrospinning technique using a precursor sol-gel solution containing metal nitrates and a treatment of controlled oxidation under dry air. The heating rate of such treatment allows the control of the product morphology aiming the production of either nanoparticles or nanofibers. Catalytic hydrogenation studies of carbon dioxide were for the first time undertaken using this type of bimetallic oxides as catalysts and remarkably almost all of them present a catalytic activity superior to that of a commercial rhodium catalyst supported on alumina (5 wt % Rh/Al2O3) for the production of methane. Last but not the least, the nickel-4f block element bimetallic oxides present also a deactivation resistance for at least 50 h in the gaseous stream, which is an advantage for nickel-based catalysts. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.