Oxidative steam reforming of ethanol over Ir/CeO2 catalysts: A structure sensitivity analysis

► Structure sensitivity analysis of ethanol reforming over Ir/ceria catalysts. ► Ethanol conversion, selectivity and aging controlled by ceria and iridium particle sizes. ► Well-dispersed catalysts lead to bifunctional process with full and stable conversion to syngas. ► Poor dispersion leads to monofunctional process with unstable conversion to oxygenates.