LaNiO3 as a precursor of Ni/La2O3 for CO2 reforming of CH4: Effect of the presence of an amorphous NiO phase

The objective of the present work has been the study of the physico-chemical and catalytic properties of Ni/La2O3 catalysts obtained by reduction of four LaNiO3 samples prepared by different methods. The LaNiO3 precursors as well as the resulting Ni/La2O3 catalysts, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), temperature programmed reduction and oxidation (TPR, TPO). The catalytic performances of these systems for dry reforming of methane (DRM) were also tested. These samples show different physico-chemical properties resulting from the synthesis method used. The XAS and TPR measurements show that in all four LaNiO3 samples there is, in addition of the crystalline LaNiO3 rhombohedrical phase, a significant amount of an amorphous NiO phase, not detectable by XRD but evidenced by XAS. The amount of this NiO amorphous phase seems to play, together with some other microstructural parameters, an important role in the performance of the Ni/La2O3 samples for the DRM reaction. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.