A Porous Ni@SiO ₂ Nanocatalysts for CO ₂ Methane Reforming

Abstract Porous Ni@SiO core‐shell catalysts (Ni@SiO 2 ‐xC 10 ) were modified by selective etching in a mild alkaline solution using decyltrimethylammonium bromide (C 10 TAB). The effects of C 10 TAB concentration on the Ni@SiO 2 nanoparticles were explored and used in the dry reforming of methane. It can change the physicochemical properties of Ni@SiO 2 , and the modified Ni@SiO 2 ‐xC 10 exhibits better catalytic performance than Ni@SiO 2 . TEM, N 2 ‐isotherm, and H 2 ‐TPR results show that Ni@SiO 2 ‐xC 10 modified with a sufficient concentration of C 10 TAB has a mesoporous core‐shell structure, which not only increases the pore volume and surface area but also enhances the metal‐support interaction; XPS and TEM results indicate that Ni nanoparticles are confined within the mesoporous core‐shell, which inhibits the migration of Ni nanoparticles at high temperature. The Ni@SiO 2 ‐2C 10 catalyst showed optimal catalytic performance under reaction conditions of 800 °C, N 2 : CH 4 : CO 2 =1 : 1 : 1, and WHSV of 126000 mLg cat −1 h −1 with increased conversion of CH 4 (>79 %) and CO 2 (>84 %) within 50 h.