Author: A.PTsai, M Yoshimura

Institute: National Metals Research Institute, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan

The highly active quasi-crystalline Al-Cu-Fe catalyst for methanol steam reforming is an innovative solution that helps improve the efficiency of this process. Its unique quasi-crystalline structure provides a significant increase in the active surface, which contributes to improved adsorption interaction between the reagents. At the same time, the catalyst demonstrates outstanding thermal stability and stability during multiple reaction cycles, which is important for industrial applications.

Methanol steam reforming (CH3OH+H2O→3H2+CO2) was first realized on a stable AlCuFe quasicrystal. This quasicrystal exhibits excellent catalytic activity after leaching treatment. The H2 productivity reaches 235 l/kg min at 573 K. This activity is explained by the presence of copper nanoparticles on the surface of the quasicrystal grains formed as a result of leaching. Quasicrystals have two key advantages: firstly, their brittleness facilitates efficient grinding; secondly, the Fe content in the composition prevents sintering of Cu particles.

Icosahedral quasicrystals, discovered in 1984, exhibit a forbidden fivefold diffraction pattern with distinct peaks, indicating long-range order. This discovery facilitated the exchange of knowledge between physics and materials science. Over the past decade, the synthesis, structure, and properties of quasicrystals have been extensively studied, resulting in the identification of more than 100 alloy systems with quasicrystalline phases. Their characteristic features, such as high resistivity, hardness, and low friction coefficient, make them promising for catalytic applications due to their thermodynamic stability and high activity at high temperatures.

Research shows that the use of Al-Cu-Fe in steam reforming of methanol leads to a significant increase in the yield of syngas, in particular hydrogen and carbon monoxide. These components play a key role in industrial processes such as methanol synthesis and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Importantly, the catalyst also exhibits high selectivity, minimizing side reactions that can lead to the formation of undesirable products.

Thus, the highly active quasi-crystalline Al-Cu-Fe catalyst opens new horizons for the optimization of methanol-based processes, contributing to sustainable development and increased energy efficiency.