(702d) Confined Nickel Nanoparticles Supported on Silica with and without Ceria Promoter for the Partial Oxidation of Isooctane

A confined Ni-based catalyst was synthesized using ceria promoters over silica supports via a wet impregnation method in ethylene glycol solvent, tested for its catalytic performance toward a partial oxidation reaction (POX) of isooctane at high space velocities, and compared with Rh- based catalyst that is commonly used for the same reaction. The catalytic performance of the catalysts was investigated at 750 ^oC, atmospheric pressure, GHSV of 43,681 h^-1 and O₂/C ratio of 0.5. Various characterizations of prepared catalytic samples (including XRD and TEM analysis) demonstrated that the addition of ceria promoter and utilization of ethylene glycol solvent lead to the reduced Ni particle size and the improved Ni metal dispersion. Our reforming test results showed that isooctane conversion, syngas yields, and long-term stability of Ni supported catalyst samples significantly improve as the Ni metal dispersion increases. Thus, the Ni supported catalyst sample that is prepared with ethylene glycol solvent and ceria promoter showed the best reforming performances toward the POX of isooctane, which even outperformed the supported Rh catalyst.