The methane dry reforming reaction (DRM) converts methane and CO₂ into syngas, a mixture of H₂ and CO. When illuminated by 790 mW cm⁻² of white light, the 2Ni/CeO_2−x catalyst converts CH₄ and CO₂ beyond thermodynamic equilibrium, while the energy efficiency reaches 33%. The DRM reaction is sustained in a purely photocatalytic mode without external heating, yielding CH₄ and CO₂ rates of 0.21 and 0.75 mmol (g_cat • min)⁻¹, respectively. Theoretical analysis of Ni/CeO_2−x optical properties agrees with in-situ UV-Vis DRS results and reveals partly reduced Ce³⁺ sites crucial for extending the optical absorption of Ni/CeO_2−x into the visible light range. Two photocatalytic mechanisms are postulated to occur: the hot charge-carrier driven photocatalytic mechanism and the near-field induced resonant energy transfer, depending on the energy of photons used to stimulate the catalyst. This work identifies sub-stoichiometric Ni/CeO_2−x as highly efficient for boosting methane activation by visible light under mild conditions.

甲烷干重整反应 (DRM) 将甲烷和 CO ₂转化为合成气，即 H ₂和 CO的混合物。当被 790 mW cm ^-2白光照射时，2Ni/CeO _2-x催化剂将 CH ₄和 CO ₂转化超出热力学平衡，而能量效率达到33%。DRM 反应以纯光催化模式持续，无需外部加热，CH ₄和CO _{2 的}速率分别为0.21 和0.75 mmol (g _cat • min) ^-1。Ni/CeO _2-x光学性质的理论分析与原位一致UV-Vis DRS 结果显示部分减少的 Ce ³⁺位点对于将 Ni/CeO _2-x的光吸收扩展到可见光范围至关重要。假设发生两种光催化机制：热电荷载流子驱动的光催化机制和近场诱导的共振能量转移，这取决于用于刺激催化剂的光子能量。这项工作将亚化学计量的 Ni/CeO _2-x鉴定为在温和条件下通过可见光促进甲烷活化的高效方法。