Cu–Ni@SiO2 alloy nanocomposites for methane dry reforming catalysis

Abstract

Cu–Ni alloy nanoparticles (12 ± 3 nm) encapsulated in a silica shell have been successfully synthesized through a microemulsion method followed by polymerization of TEOS. The morphologies of the Cu–Ni@SiO2 nanocomposites can be controlled by tuning the metal ion concentrations. The alloy nanostructure shows a superior performance in catalytic methane dry reforming to the pure Ni nanocomposite catalyst.