Design and Preparation of Heterogeneous Catalysts by Controlled Chemical Reactions with Oxygen and Hydrogen

Abstract

ABSTRACTChemical reactions of metals and strongly interacting alloys such as Cu-Mn, Ni-Ti, Ni-Hf and Ni-Zr with oxygen and hydrogen play important roles in the preparation, activation, and regeneration of many important heterogeneous catalytic systems involving supported and unsupported metals and alloys. Recent advances in the understanding of metal and alloy oxidation is bringing new insight into the reactive design and activation of bi- and multi-metallic catalysts. By surface studies of oxidation, thermal annealing and reduction of selected alloys and their thin films and reaction layers and products we have been able to delineate the factors which are most important to the oxide formation processes and the oxide reduction processes. Reaction models developed from these results are permitting the design of new catalyst systems and providing long sought understanding to explain specific aspects of well established metallic catalysts.