Methane decomposition using a Ni–Cu-based hollow-wall-structured catalyst prepared by combined electroless plating

Abstract

A bimetallic Ni–Cu catalyst, prepared using the electroless plating (ELP) method, demonstrated potential for catalytic methane decomposition (CMD) to produce turquoise hydrogen and carbon-capture materials. A structured catalyst was synthesised with a focus on optimising its design for enhanced activity, high-quality carbon capture, and improved resistance to early deactivation. Catalysts were characterised using FE-SEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, XRF, and Raman techniques. The 70–30 Ni–Cu catalyst was identified to be the best-performing catalyst; it exhibited a fine alloy structure, good performance, thermal stability, and high-temperature activity, and outperformed the corresponding impregnation-method-based catalyst. The Cu in the catalyst enhances the growth of filamentous carbon and improves the structural order of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) owing to its carbon-dispersing effect and optimised active-site availability. However, excess Cu reduces the number of available active sites and decreases performance. The captured multiwalled CNTs in the best catalyst showed a higher I_G/I_D ratio (0.83) compared to commercial CNTs, which highlights their potential use in functional-material applications. The combination of a structured substrate and the ELP method has the potential to provide long-term turquoise H₂ production and carbon capture.