Preparation of alkali-resistant, Sil-1 encapsulated nickel catalysts for direct internal reforming-molten carbonate fuel cell

A thin layer of silicalite-1 zeolite membrane was grown on the surface of Ni/SiO2 and Ni/Al2O3 catalyst beads after seeding and secondary regrowth to create core–shell catalysts that are resistant to alkali poisoning from direct internal reforming-molten carbonate fuel cell (DIR-MCFC). The zeolite shell thickness was optimized to prevent poisoning and minimize diffusion resistance. An out-of-cell test was designed to simulate the fuel cell operating conditions, which showed that the new core–shell catalysts maintained a high activity similar to the original fresh catalyst in spite of the exposure to alkali vapor at high temperature. The conventional Ni/SiO2 and Ni/Al2O3 catalysts suffered higher than 80% decrease in activity for steam reforming of methane reaction (SRM).