Steam reforming of methane over highly active and KOH-resistant Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for direct internal reforming (DIR) in a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) Original Research Article

For direct internal reforming (DIR) in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), steam reforming of methane has been carried out over Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method. During the synthesis of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts, various synthesis parameters have been systematically manipulated to develop a highly active and KOH-resistant catalyst for DIR in MCFCs. Compared with a commercial catalyst, 52% Ni/γ-Al2O3 prepared with a precursor concentration of 0.18 M and a urea concentration of 6 M exhibited very high activity with strong resistance against KOH due to the selective adsorption of KOH on the γ-Al2O3 support.