Steam reforming of methane(SRM)is one of several possible methods for producing hydrogen or synthesis gas.Natural gas used in this process is abundantly available at relatively low cost; thereby SRM is currently the most cost-effective and highly developed method for production of hydrogen.Ni-based catalysts appear to be the most attractive due to its high activity and low cost,however,the problem of the coke deposits will lead to catalyst deactivation eventually.Au addition into Ni surface was proved as an effective means to resist the formation of coke,however,at the expense of decreasing SRM activity.Thus,concerns over deactivation via carbon formation motivate interest in new catalysts that inhibit carbon formation while retain activity to the SRM reaction.To investigate the role of Au on SRM process,recently,we have thoroughly examined the effect of Au toward CO adsorption1,water adsorption and dissociation2,methane dehydrogenation3 and graphene growth4 on Ni surface by means of the first-principles calculations.These results will give direct revelations to further understand the process of SRM.