The Application of Etched Aluminum Wires as Catalyst Supports for Methanol Steam-Reforming

In the present work, we investigated the alternating current (AC) etching of aluminum wires with the aim of fabricating catalyst supports. This support material was found to possess a spongy surface layer that could be subsequently filled with gamma-alumina by a combination of hydration and calcination. These support wires are easily fabricated at low cost, and could be mass produced continuously. The integrated structure of the catalyst produces a strong interconnection between the wire substrate and a thick catalyst layer on the wire. This work also demonstrated that the diffusion inside the catalyst layer can be controlled by varying the etched structure of the support layer. A micro-structured catalytic wall reactor concept was developed using these wires, situated parallel to one another within a tubular device, such that microchannels were present between the wires. The steam-reforming of methanol was assessed in this type of microreactor.