CO2 reforming of methane over Ni-Ru supported catalysts: On the nature of active sites by operando DRIFTS study

The present paper addresses the nature of the active sites of a bimetallic Ni-Ru supported catalyst on the dry reforming of methane (DRM). The structural characterization by XRD and Raman spectroscopy, along with the reducibility study (TPR-H2) of the samples, evidenced the existence of a strong Ni–Ru interaction in the bime- tallic system. We have assumed that Ru atoms block the most reactive Ni sites (step-edge sites) leaving less reactive centers for methane activation (terraces). In this way, operando DRIFTS measurements revealed that Ru decreases the catalytic activity but favors the carbon gasification and prevents the CO dissociation.