Methane catalytic decomposition is a promising process that simultaneously produces COx-free hydrogen and carbon nanomaterial. The hydrogen produced can be consumed directly by proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), while the carbon can be used as the fuel of direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) and as the components of advanced materials. The recent advances in the reaction mechanism and kinetics on group 8-10 base metal catalysts are reviewed. Special attention is paid to the roles of metal particles and the deactivation mechanism of the catalyst during the reaction. The performances of the often used catalysts are summarized and the effects of the promoters, supports and preparation techniques are outlined. The kinetic models derived from different mechanism and the empirical correlations are compared. The process characteristics, such as the origin of the trace amount of CO in the product, the process factors influencing CO formation and the overall catalyst productivity are discussed. Processes based on the topic reaction and their applications are introduced. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.