Metal Carbide as A Light‐Harvesting and Anticoking Catalysis Support for Dry Reforming of Methane

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is one of the most attractive chemical reactions, since it converts global-warming gases into valuable syngas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Numerous previous studies used metal oxides catalysis supports, such as Al2O3, but their operating temperature was very high and severe coking occurred and deteriorated their catalytic activities. The present study reports that a metal carbide like tantalum carbide (TaC) acts as a multifunctional catalyst support for the DRM reaction, including light-harvesting properties for saving energy operation as well as an anticoking property for long-term stability. Nickel nanoparticles loaded on tantalum carbide (Ni/TaC) are prepared by impregnation and reductive hydrogen treatment. TaC particles act as a light-harvesting support to promote the DRM reaction by photon irradiation through plasmonic photothermal energy conversion in TaC. Furthermore, Ni/TaC exhibits an excellent long-term anticoking property, as compared to Ni loaded on conventional metal oxide supports such as Al2O3 or Ta2O5. According to the sole gas condition's experiment, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy, the oxy-carbide layer near the interface between TaC and Ni plays an essential role in imparting the efficient anticoking property of Ni/TaC.