In order to construct a structured steam reforming system, a honeycomb-type nickel-based catalyst was prepared by the combined technique of a sol-gel method and electroless plating on a stainless steel substrate. The type of the reducing agent used in the plating process influenced not only the forming-rate of the nickel particles, but also the methane steam reforming (MSR) property of the prepared catalyst. The catalyst prepared using NaBH4 demonstrated a higher performance for MSR than the commercial catalyst, indicating that the catalyst degradation was quite low even under the severe H2O/CH4 condition. The plating time of the nickel plating process also significantly influenced the reforming property. When using the NaBH4 reducing agent, the plating time of about 3 min provided the highest performance. The chloride and the sulfate were suitable for the anion species of the nickel reagent used in the plating. Based on the XPS measurement, the electron state of the nickel, which was prepared using the chloride and the sulfate was thought to be a state that is appropriate for the formation of the CHx species and the formation of O* species in the reforming mechanism. Adding a promoter component to the aluminum sol solution was effective for improving the reforming performance. Especially, the reforming property of the catalyst that adds the Ce component was improved. The combination technique developed in this study is a useful and expandable method for preparing the structured catalyst with a high performance on the stainless steel substrate. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.