A co-precipitation method was employed to prepare nickel oxide dispersed on CeO2, ZrO2 and cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 Support to obtain catalysts useful for carbon dioxide reforming of methane reaction. The Ni-CeO2 and Ni-Ce-ZrO2 catalysts showed relatively high activity and stability, while the Ni-ZrO2 catalyst deactivated in the initial stage of the reaction due to serious carbon formation. The co-precipitated Ni-Ce-ZrO2 catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity (CH4 conversion > 97% at 800degreesC) among the catalysts tested and the activity was maintained without significant loss during the reaction for 100 h. The enhanced catalytic activity and stability of the co-precipitated Ni-Ce-ZrO2 catalyst is attributed to the combination of nano-crystalline nature of cubic Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 support and finely dispersed nano-sized NiOx crystallites resulting in intimate contact between Ni and support, better Ni dispersion, higher Ni surface area and enhanced oxygen transfer during the reaction. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.