Compared to reforming reactions using hydrocarbons

ethanol steam reforming (ESR) is a sustainable alternative for hydrogen (H

2

) production since ethanol can be produced sustainably using biomass. This work explores the catalyst design strategies for preparing the Ni supported on ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts to promote ESR. Specifically

two-dimensional ZSM-5 nanosheet and conventional ZSM-5 crystal were used as the catalyst carriers and two synthesis strategies

i.e

.

in situ

encapsulation and wet impregnation method

were employed to prepare the catalysts. Based on the comparative characterization of the catalysts and comparative catalytic assessments

it was found that the combination of the

in situ

encapsulation synthesis and the ZSM-5 nanosheet carrier was the effective strategy to develop catalysts for promoting H

2

production

via

ESR due to the improved mass transfer (through the 2-D structure of ZSM-5 nanosheet) and formation of confined small Ni nanoparticles (resulted

via

the

in situ

encapsulation synthesis). In addition

the resulting ZSM-5 nanosheet supported Ni catalyst also showed high Ni dispersion and high accessibility to Ni sites by the reactants

being able to improve the activity and stability of catalysts and suppress metal sintering and coking during ESR at high reaction temperatures. Thus

the Ni supported on ZSM-5 nanosheet catalyst prepared by encapsulation showed the stable performance with ~88% ethanol conversion and ~65% H

2

yield achieved during a 48-h longevity test at 550 ℃.