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Calcination-Induced Pore Evolution in TiO2 Supports Governing Ni Accessibility for Dry Methane Reforming
Sung-Bin Choi1, Ye-Eun Jeon1, Da-Bin Kang1
1School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Chemistryopen
|April 21, 2026
Summary
Support calcination temperature critically impacts nickel accessibility and catalytic performance in methane dry reforming. High-temperature calcination enhances catalyst stability and activity by preserving surface-exposed nickel sites.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is crucial for converting greenhouse gases.
- Nickel-based catalysts supported on titanium dioxide (TiO2) are promising for DRM.
- Understanding support structure evolution is key to optimizing catalyst performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how support calcination temperature influences TiO2 pore structure, nickel accessibility, and catalytic activity for DRM.
- To correlate structural changes with catalyst performance and stability.
- To identify optimal conditions for designing robust oxide-supported catalysts.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Ni/TiO2 catalysts with supports calcined at temperatures ranging from 400°C to 1200°C.
- Characterization of support morphology, pore structure, and nickel properties (loading, particle size, reducibility).
- Evaluation of catalytic performance in DRM, including methane conversion, H2/CO ratio, and long-term stability.
Main Results:
- Calcination temperature induced significant structural transitions in TiO2 supports, affecting pore morphology.
- Nickel accessibility varied greatly with calcination temperature, despite similar Ni loading and particle size.
- The catalyst with a support calcined at high temperature (Ni/TiO2-HR-C12) exhibited high initial CH4 conversion (~93%) and stability over 50 hours at 700°C.
- Low-temperature calcination led to Ni precursor infiltration and subsequent encapsulation, reducing activity.
- High-temperature calcination (≥900°C) yielded thermally stable structures that maintained high nickel site accessibility and enhanced DRM performance.
Conclusions:
- Support thermal stability and nickel site accessibility are more critical for DRM performance than mesoporosity or nickel particle size.
- Optimizing support calcination temperature is essential for designing thermally robust and highly active Ni/TiO2 catalysts for dry reforming of methane.
- These findings provide valuable insights for the rational design of advanced oxide-supported catalysts for gas conversion applications.
