Catalytic partial-oxidation of methane on a ceria-supported platinum catalyst for application in fuel cell electric vehicles

Fuel cell developers are investigating the generation of hydrogen from light hydrocarbons, such as methane or natural gas, for fuelling polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). This study demonstrates generation of H2 and CO by catalytic partial-oxidation of CH4 in air at atmospheric pressure on a ceria-supported platinum catalyst prepared by a novel solution–combustion method where platinum is present in ionically-substituted form. These catalysts at different platinum loadings showed methane conversion and hydrogen selectivity of 90 and 97%, respectively. Interestingly, there is little carbon deposition in the catalytic reactor even after prolonged reaction time.