The evolution of an operating catalyst: Probing a dry methane reforming catalyst by X-ray spectroscopy

Dry methane reforming (DMR) offers a way to convert harmful greenhouse gases into industrially useful syngas. Therefore, there is a growing interest in nickel-based catalysts for DMR. Microscopic studies have shown how a bimetallic NiCo catalyst changes during activation and subsequent DMR reaction. This involves the transformation from an alloy to a segregation of Co and Ni. The addition of Co increases stability, inhibits coking and modulates the electronic structure of Ni in the process.