Microstructural characterization of rapidly solidified Al-13.5 at.% Cr and Al-13.5 at.% V alloys for catalytic applications

Abstract

Intermetallic compounds, due to their well-defined stoichiometry, arrangement of atoms and controlled crystal structure, are a promising alternative to expensive noble metal catalysts. In this paper, the catalytic properties of Al-13.5 at.% Cr and Al-13.5 at.% V alloys, corresponding to the quasicrystalline approximants Al45Cr7 and Al45V7, were investigated for the first time.The alloys in the form of fragmented brittle ribbons were produced by the melt-spinning. The microstructure of the ribbons, both in the as-spun state and after heat treatment (100 h at 600 °C), was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In the as-spun state, the ribbons showed a multiphase microstructure. In addition to the Al45Cr7 phase in the Al-Cr alloy and the Al3V phase in the Al-V alloy, they also contained α(Al) solid solution and icosahedral quasicrystalline phases. After heat treatment, the alloys became almost single phase, consisting mainly of stable monoclinic phases: Al45Cr7 or Al45V7. The catalytic performance of the phenylacetylene hydrogenation reaction was tested on as-spun and heat-treated alloys that had previously been pulverized and sieved to select a powder fraction of less than 32 µm. All the tested materials show high substrate conversion, above 80% after 1 h reaction, along with high activity rate. The homogenized powders demonstrated a slightly better properties in relation to as-spun materials. These results confirm the potential of intermetallic catalysts, including the tested alloys, in hydrogenation reactions and verify the possibility of using the metallurgical method to obtain catalytically active materials. Graphical abstract