Ordered mesoporous NiO-MgO-Al2O3 composite oxides with various Ni and Mg content were facilely synthesized via one pot evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) strategy. These mesoporous materials with large specific surface areas, big pore volumes, uniform pore sizes and superior thermal stability were investigated as the catalysts for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane reaction. These materials performed high catalytic activity as well as long stability. The improved catalytic performances were suggested to be closely associated with both the amount of "accessible" active centers for the reactants owing to their advantageous structural properties and the stabilized Ni nanoparticles by mesoporous framework matrix due to the "confinement effect" of the mesopores. Besides, the role of the MgO basic modifier was also studied. It was observed that only moderate amount of the Mg containing (2 M%) could greatly promote the catalytic performances. The stabilized Ni nanoparticles as well as doped MgO had reinforced capacity of resistance to coke, accounting for no deactivation after 100 h long-term stability test at 700 degrees C. Therefore, the ordered mesoporous NiO-MgO-Al2O3 composite oxides promised a series of novel and stable catalyst candidates for carbon dioxide reforming of methane reaction. (C) 2011 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.