Hydrogen production by steam reforming of ethanol over dual-templated Ni–Al2O3 catalyst

• A P123-ionic liquid-templated Ni–Al2O3 catalyst (SINA) was prepared.
• A P123-templated Ni–Al2O3 catalyst (SNA) was prepared.
• Hydrogen was produced by steam reforming of ethanol.
• SINA catalyst showed higher hydrogen yield than SNA catalyst.
• High activity of SINA was due to its high pore volume and high nickel dispersion.

A dual-templated Ni–Al2O3 catalyst (SINA) was prepared by a single-step evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method using P123 and ionic liquid as templates. For comparison, a P123-templated Ni–Al2O3 catalyst (SNA) was also prepared by a single-step evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method in the absence of ionic liquid. Both catalysts were applied to the hydrogen production by steam reforming of ethanol. The effect of ionic liquid addition on the physicochemical properties and catalytic activities of the catalysts was investigated. Although both catalysts exhibited a mesoporous structure, SINA catalyst retained higher surface area and larger pore volume than SNA catalyst. It was also revealed that SINA catalyst retained higher nickel surface area and higher ethanol adsorption capacity than SNA catalyst. In the hydrogen production by steam reforming of ethanol, both catalysts exhibited a stable catalytic performance with complete conversion of ethanol. However, SINA catalyst exhibited higher hydrogen yield than SNA catalyst. High surface area and high nickel dispersion of SINA catalyst were responsible for its high hydrogen yield. The addition of ionic liquid as a co-template in the preparation of mesoporous SINA catalyst increased surface area, nickel dispersion, and catalytic activity of the catalyst.

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