Carbon dioxide reforming of methane over mesoporous Ni/SiO2

•SiO2-supported Ni catalysts were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method.•Ni/SiO2 catalyst showed high activity and stability at 800°C for 72h.•Mesoporous SiO2 support blocked sintering of Ni particles and carbon deposition. Mesoporous SiO2-supported Ni catalyst was fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the catalytic activity and stability were investigated in carbon dioxide reforming of methane (CRM) reaction at 800°C. The Ni/SiO2 catalysts showed high initial activity and catalytic stability in the CRM reaction as a result of confinement of Ni particles with a mean size of ∼10nm within the pores of SiO2. The Ni particles in pores of mesoporous silica were not only resistant towards sintering but also coke formation during the reaction. In contrast, bare NiO nanoparticles were easily aggregated into larger particles and coke could form under the same reaction conditions, and therefore, much lower reactivity for CRM was found using bare NiO catalysts. It is suggested that Ni particles with very low loading on mesoporous SiO2 could be promising candidate as catalysts of CRM reaction.