High activity in the dry reforming of methane using a thermally switchable double perovskite and in situ generated molecular level nanocomposite

Abstract

This work emphasizes the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction on citrate sol–gel-synthesized double perovskite oxides. Phase pure La₂NiMnO₆ shows very impressive DRM activity with H₂/CO = 0.9, hence revealing a high prospect of next-generation catalysts. Although the starting double perovskite phase gets degraded into mostly binary oxide phases after a few hours of DRM activity, the activity continues up to 100 h. The regeneration of the original double perovskite out of decomposed phases by annealing at near synthesis temperature, followed by the spectacular retention of activity, is rather interesting and hitherto unreported. This result unravels unique reversible thermal switching between the original double perovskite phase and decomposed phases during DRM without compromising the activity and raises challenge to understand the role of decomposed phases evolved during DRM. We have addressed this unique feature of the catalyst via structure–property relationship using the in situ generated molecular level nanocomposite.