A series of Co/Mg–Al oxide samples,CoMgAl-x(x=(Mg+Co)/Al molar ratio of 1–5),were prepared by the self-combustion method followed by H2reduction.The catalytic performance and stability of the samples were studied in dry reforming of CH4.XRD and H2-TPR characterization results showed that the reduced CoMgAl-x samples mainly consisted of solid solution and spinel phases with cobalt particles.The spinel phases contained Co3O4 and Con Mg1-n Al2O4(0≦n≦1)varying with the(Mg+Co)/Al ratio.The effect of (Mg+Co)/Al molar ratio on the catalytic behavior was investigated in detail and CoMgAl-3 exhibited the highest catalytic activity and stability among the catalysts studied. A series of Co / Mg-Al oxide samples, CoMgAl-x (x = (Mg + Co) / Al molar ratio of 1-5), were prepared by the self-combustion method followed by H2 reduction. The catalytic performance and stability of the samples were studied in dry reforming of CH4.XRD and H2-TPR characterization results showed that the reduced CoMgAl-x samples mainly consisted of solid solution and spinel phases with cobalt particles. The spinel phases contained Co3O4 and Con Mg1-n Al2O4 (0 ≦ n ≦ 1) varying with the (Mg + Co) / Al ratio. The effect of (Mg + Co) / Al molar ratio on the catalytic behavior was investigated in detail and CoMgAl-3 exhibits the highest catalytic activity and stability among the catalysts studied.