A theoretical overview on the prevention of coking in dry reforming of methane using non-precious transition metal catalysts

•Non-precious catalysts for production of syngas from CO2 dry reforming of methane.•Extensive review of Ni-based bimetallic and transition metal phosphides.•Fundamental mechanisms of anti-coking and stability of catalysts in DRM reactions.•Recommendation of future research directions in non-precious catalysts for DRM.It is worthwhile to invest in the development of CO2 reforming of methane, as it presents a promising alternative for transforming two global warming gases into a very versatile product such as syngas. A syngas rich feed gas presents extensive prospects for existing downstream industrial processes for producing valuable fuels and chemicals. The commercialization of the DRM process greatly depends upon the development of low cost, non-precious transition metal-based catalysts, to provide a desirable balance between catalytic activity and stability. In this review, the progress in the advancements of non-precious catalytic materials have been discussed from a theoretical point of view. A theoretical perspective gives an opportunity to gain fundamental information at the atomic level, such as the interaction of reaction intermediates with particular crystal facets (typically active sites in the reaction), combined with electronic structure insights, directly influencing the kinetic behaviour of the catalyst system. Theoretical insights into the DRM reaction mechanisms on non-precious Ni-based bimetallic and transition metal phosphide catalysts are extensively discussed, together with the mitigation mechanisms to avoid carbon deposition and catalyst deactivation under DRM reaction conditions. Prospects of future development of DRM are also provided, highlighting the importance of computational chemistry studies in the development of the next-generation advanced DRM catalysts