Metal oxide catalysts for DME steam reforming: Ga2O3 and Ga2O3-Al2O3 catalysts with and without copper

The steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) was performed on Cu/GaxAl10 − xO15 and GaxAl10 − xO15 catalysts (where 'x' varies from 0 to 10). The presence of Ga2O3 in Al2O3 significantly affects the catalytic performance with respect to the DME conversion and the H2 yield. It was found that the activity increases with the Ga2O3 concentration for GaxAl10 − xO15. The DME steam reforming activity on Cu/GaxAl10 − xO15 showed an improvement in the stability and H2 yield as the Ga2O3 concentration increased. A correlation between the XPS results and the DME steam reforming activity for Cu/GaxAl10 − xO15 reveals that the heterogeneity of the surface is important for achieving a high H2 yield. The specific interaction between Ga2O3 and Cu plays a decisive role in the distribution of Cu, which makes Cu/GaxAl10 − xO15 active and stable for the reaction.