2020/10/29 by Huong Lan Huynh, Jie Zhu, Guanghui Zhang +4 · 2 citations
Chemical Engineering · Materials Science · #Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis #Catalysts for Methane Reforming #Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jcat.2020.10.018
openalex publication_date 2020/10/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Bimetallic NiFe catalysts have emerged as a promising alternative to the traditional Ni catalysts for CO2 methanation. However, the promoting effect of Fe on the bimetallic catalysts remains ambiguous. In this study, a series of NiFe catalysts derived from hydrotalcite precursors were investigated. In situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that small NiFe alloy particles were formed and remained stable during reaction. When Fe/Ni = 0.25, the alloy catalysts exhibited the highest CO2 conversion, CH4 selectivity and stability in CO2 methanation at low temperature of 250–350 °C. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) study indicated that the formate pathway was the most plausible reaction scheme on both Ni and NiFe alloy catalysts, while a moderate addition of Fe facilitated the activation of CO2 via hydrogenation to *HCOO. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrated that the overall energy barrier for CH4 formation was lower on the alloy surface.