Coking- and Sintering-Resistant Ni Nanocatalysts Confined by Active BN Edges for Methane Dry Reforming

Methane dry reforming (MDR) has attracted significant attention for effectively consuming greenhouse gases and producing valuable syngas. The development of coking- and sintering-resistant catalysts is still a challenge. Herein, highly active Ni nanocatalysts confined by the active edges of boron nitride have been originally developed, and the coking- and sintering-resistant MDR mechanism has also been unraveled. The active edges of boron nitride consisted of boundary BO species interact with Ni nanoparticles (NPs), which can contribute to the activation of both CH₄ and CO₂. The etching of BN is restrained under the buffer of boundary BO species. Operando spectra reveal that the formation and conversion of active bicarbonate species is accelerated by the boundary BO species. The complete decomposition of CH₄ is suppressed, and thus the coke formation is restricted. The functional groups of active BN edges are confirmed to stabilize the Ni NPs and facilitate the MDR reaction. This work provides a novel approach for the development of coking- and sintering-resistant catalysts for MDR.