The large‐scale production of hydrogen and the direct sequestration ofcarbon in solid form, through the decomposition of natural gas, could constitute an attractive economic alternative for hydrogen production if catalyst deactivation by coke formation or sintering could be mitigated. Here, we report on the use of a carbon‐based catalyst to achieve the catalytic methane decomposition at medium temperature of 800°C, under contactless inductive heating. Analyses of the catalytic performance and the characterization of the spent catalyst show that the carbon deposited during the reaction acts as the active phase and can thus be recycled indefinitely. This autocatalytic effect is observed only when the carbon‐based catalyst is operated under inductive heating. The carbon formed is in the form of a graphene‐like layer with a high degree of graphitization and is distinctly different from the carbon black powder typically obtained in other processes. These promising results could set the ground for developing an industrially and economically viable method to convert natural gas into hydrogen, using renewable energy and low‐cost catalysts, with improved resistance to poisoning by impurities present in the feedstock.
Ngo et al. (Sun,) studied this question.