Ultrapermeable Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese/Alumina Inverse Opal as a Coke-Tolerant and Pressure-Drop-Free Catalyst for the Dry Reforming of Methane

Abstract

An inverse opal-structured Ni-Co-Mn/Al2O3 catalyst with ultrahigh permeability was prepared by a sol-gel method templated by poly(methyl methacrylate) opal-structured nanospheres. This catalyst exhibited excellent coke tolerance and a negligible reactor pressure drop in the dry reforming of methane. The highly permeable, unique macroporous structure allowed facile mass transport, which not only reduced the amount of coke deposition but also enhanced coke tolerance. Therefore, invariant CO2/CH4 conversions despite substantial coke formation were observed.