The electronic effects of Pr on La1−xPrxNiAl11O19 for CO2 reforming of methane

The CO2 reforming of CH4 to synthesis gas by using praseodymium modified hexaaluminate La1−xPrxNiAl11O19 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0) as catalysts was studied. The modifier Pr improved the reducibility and catalytic activity of Ni ions as active component in the hexaaluminate lattices, especially the conversion of CH4 and CO2 reached 89.62% and 92.94%, respectively over La0.8Pr0.2NiAl11O19. It was found that the addition of Pr can promote the electronic transformation between the Ni ions and the La ions to maintain Ni at a lower valence, which promotes the activation of CH4.