Reaction-Induced Dual Metal-Oxide Interfaces in Ni/MgAl₂O₄@BN Catalyst Enable Durable Dry Reforming of Methane

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) has emerged as a promising route for syngas production through synergistic utilization of CO₂ and CH₄, yet its industrial application is hindered by rapid catalyst deactivation caused by sintering and coking. Herein, this challenge is addressd by engineering dual metal-oxide interfaces in supported Ni-based catalyst via strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). Reaction-induced dynamic formation and migration of BO_x onto surface of Ni nanoparticles (NPs) supported on boron nitride (BN)-coated MgAl₂O₄ spinel (MAS) produces the dual interfaces. An upper BO_x/Ni interface inhibits sintering of Ni NPs and suppresses coking. A lower Ni/MAS interface prevents sintering of Ni NPs and enhances CO₂ adsorption. As a result, the dual-interface-locked Ni/MAS@BN catalyst delivers a CH₄ conversion rate of 0.015 mol/g_cat/min with H₂/CO ratio of 1.1 under 750 °C, and maintains stable for 500 h with negligible carbon deposition (0.7 wt.%). This performance exceeds that of Ni/MAS (CH₄ conversion rate < 2.4 × 10^-4 mol/g_cat/min after 80 h) and Ni/h-BN (CH₄ conversion rate < 1.2 × 10^-3 mol/g_cat/min after 20 h), both of which deactivate rapidly within 80 h. This study proposes an innovative dual-interface engineering strategy for designing high-performance DRM catalysts with enhanced resistance to sintering and coking.