P. Ferreira-aparicio et al., Evaluation of the role of the metal-support interfacial centers in the dryreforming of methane on alumina-supported rhodium catalysts, J CATALYSIS, 190(2), 2000, pp. 296-308
The reforming of CH4 with CO2 (dry reforming) has been studied on a series
of Al2O3-supported Rh-Cu catalysts. The reaction has been found to proceed
on these systems through a bifunctional mechanism, in which the activation
on methane takes place on the rhodium phase while carbon dioxide is activat
ed on the support surface via formate intermediates. The addition of a meta
l, such as copper, inactive for methane activation, has allowed us to evalu
ate the role of the interfacial Rh-Al2O3 sites in the reaction. The presenc
e of copper reduces the stability of the catalysts, though it does not have
any effect on the initial activity per surface exposed site. It indicates
that the dry reforming of methane is not a structure-sensitive reaction and
that catalytic activity, largely affected by the alumina support, is depen
dent on the number of surface exposed rhodium centers. (C) 2000 Academic Pr
ess.