Homogeneous precipitation synthesis of CuO–ZrO2–CeO2–Al2O3 nanocatalyst used in hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming for fuel cell applications

The CuO–ZrO2–CeO2–Al2O3 catalysts for production of hydrogen via methanol steam reforming were prepared by the homogeneous precipitation method using urea hydrolysis, and the effect of presence of ceria and zirconia on methanol conversion was investigated. Prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD, FESEM, EDX, BET and FTIR analysis. XRD analysis showed that the addition of ceria to nanocatalysts made copper crystallites smaller. The FESEM results indicated that ceria enhanced the surface homogeneity of the samples and made particle size smaller. Catalytic performance tests proved the good practicability and high stability of synthesized catalysts via the homogeneous precipitation method for steam reforming of methanol. Furthermore, the ceria containing catalyst was the best among samples. The CuO–CeO2–Al2O3 catalyst had better methanol conversion with low CO production. The stability test showed that this catalyst was quite stable for steam reforming of methanol. This finding is completely consistent with the characterization analysis results. Finally, a reaction pathway for steam reforming of methanol on CuO–ZrO2–CeO2–Al2O3 catalysts was suggested.