Supported catalysts for induction-heated steam reforming of methane
Ni60Co40 nanoparticles supported on g-Al2O3 capable of simultaneously catalysing the
steam reforming reaction of methane and supplying in-situ the heat necessary to activate
the reaction by induction heating, have been synthesized and characterized. Energy is
remotely and promptly supplied by an alternating radiofrequency magnetic field (induction
heating system) to supported nanoparticles that act as dissipating agents by virtue of their
ferromagnetic properties. The temperature reached on the NieCo based catalyst surface is
high enough to obtain good catalytic performances for the steam methane reforming
(SMR). By varying synthesis conditions, samples with two different metal loading (17 wt%
and 30 wt%) and different particle size distribution were prepared and characterized.
Experimental results evidence that the temperature reached on the catalyst surface is
related to the metal loading and to the particles size distribution that strongly affect the
ability of ferromagnetic nanoparticles to convert the externally applied radio frequency.