Effects of metal cation doping in CeO(2) support on catalytic methane steam reforming at low temperature in an electric field

Catalytic methane steam reforming was conducted at low temperature using a Pd catalyst supported on Ce(1−x)M(x)O(2) (x = 0 or 0.1, M = Ca, Ba, La, Y or Al) oxides with or without an electric field (EF). The effects of the catalyst support on catalytic activity and surface proton hopping were investigated. Results show that Pd/Al-CeO(2) (Pd/Ce(0.9)Al(0.1)O(2)) showed higher activity than Pd/CeO(2) with EF, although their activity was identical without EF. Thermogravimetry revealed a larger amount of H(2)O adsorbed onto Pd/Al-CeO(2) than onto Pd/CeO(2), so Al doping to CeO(2) contributes to greater H(2)O adsorption. Furthermore, electrochemical conduction measurements of Pd/Al-CeO(2) revealed a larger contribution of surface proton hopping than that for Pd/CeO(2). This promotes the surface proton conductivity and catalytic activity during EF application.