MOF-derived carbon-based catalysts with enhanced anti-coking property for the dry reforming of methane

To avoid sintering and carbon deposition of conventionally loaded catalysts, a spatial confinement strategy was employed to design a high-performance catalyst for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction. With tri-metallic Ni-Co-Mg metal-organic framework (MOF-74) as a precursor, a novel nanostructured NiCoMg@C catalyst was synthesized, where the active metals Ni and Co were confined within the carbon framework derived from MOF pyrolysis. Characterization results indicate that the catalyst synthesized with MOF as template has a high specific surface area, well-dispersed metals, and strong metal-support interactions. The introduction of a high content of Mg promoted the dispersion of active metal Ni and Co and increased the number and strength of surface basic sites. Among the catalysts, NiCoMg₂₀@C exhibited optimal catalytic activity, with initial CH₄ and CO₂ conversion rates reaching 75.13 % and 85.29 %, respectively. More importantly, the catalyst showed high stability during 100 h DRM reaction at 700 °C without significant carbon deposition. This research provides a new perspective for the development of DRM catalysts.