How to stabilize Ni during the carbon dioxide reforming of methane (DRM) reaction is crucial for practical use of Ni catalysts for the DRM reaction. It is revealed in the present paper that there are two points that play key role in stabilization of Ni: one is formation of hydrotalcites precursors, and the other is formation of MgNiO2. Therefore, the NiMgAl mixed oxides with higher Mg/Al ratio exhibits better catalytic activity and coke resistance, and the NiMgAl with Mg/Al ratio of 1 gives the best activity and stability for the DRM reaction. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.