Effect of electrochemical pretreatment on SERS and catalytic activity of Cu-Zr amorphous alloys

This paper presents results of electrochemical, microscopic, spectroelectrochemical (SERS) and catalytic investigations of Cu-Zr amorphous alloy ribbons aimed at increasing their catalytic activity for the dehydrogenation reaction of aliphatic alcohols. Rapid dissolution in sulphuric acid/copper sulphate solution of partially devitrified Cu-Zr ribbons resulted in a nearly twofold enhancement of their catalytic activity for dehydrogenation of 2-propanol, However, their local SERS activity on the Cu rich areas was not distinctly altered by this electrochemical pretreatment. Yet, the SERS heterogeneity of the devitrified material vanished: the SERS intensity increased considerably outside the Cu rich areas, A tentative mechanism of the effects of various electrochemical pretreatments on the surface activity is discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.