CO2methanationhasbeenahottopicbecauseofitsimportantapplicationinthespacecraftandpotentialutilizationofcarbondioxide.Nickelcatalystisactiveforthisreaction.However,itsactivitystillneedstobeimproved.Dielectricbarrierdischarge(DBD)plasma,initiatedatambientconditionandoperatedat~150°C,hasbeenemployedinthisworkfordecompositionofnickelprecursortoprepareNi/MgAl2O4.Theplasmadecompositionresultsinhighdispersion,uniquestructure,enhancedreducibilityofNiparticlesandpromotedcatalyst-supportinteraction.AnimprovedactivityofCO2methanationwithahigheryieldofmethanehasbeenachievedovertheplasmadecomposedcatalyst,comparedtothecatalystpreparedthermally.Forexample,themethaneyieldoftheplasmapreparedcatalystis71.8%at300°Cbutitis62.9%overthethermalpreparedcatalyst.ThecatalystcharacterizationconfirmedthatCO2methanationovertheDBDplasmapreparedcatalystfollowspathwayofCOmethanation.
