Balancing act: influence of Cu content in NiCu/C catalysts for methane decomposition.

Thermal catalytic decomposition of methane is an innovative pathway to produce CO-free hydrogen from natural gas. We investigated the role of Cu content in carbon-supported bimetallic NiCu catalysts. A graphitic carbon material was used as a model support, and we combined operando methane decomposition experiments in a thermogravimetric analyzer with electron microscopy measurements.

An In Situ TEM Study of the Influence of Water Vapor on Reduction of Nickel Phyllosilicate - Retarded Growth of Metal Nanoparticles at Higher Rates.

Unavoidable water formation during the reduction of solid catalyst precursors has long been known to influence the nanoparticle size and dispersion in the active catalyst. This in situ transmission electron microscopy study provides insight into the influence of water vapor at the nanoscale on the nucleation and growth of the nanoparticles (2-16 nm) during the reduction of a nickel phyllosilicate catalyst precursor under H/Ar gas at 700 °C. Water suppresses and delays nucleation, but counterintuitively increases the rate of particle growth.