Effect of hydrogenation under high pressure on the structure and catalyticproperties of Cu-Zr amorphous alloys

Hydrogenation under high pressures up to 3 GPa and at elevated temperatures up to 393 K was used to introduce structural changes in the bulk and on th e surface of Cu-Zr amorphous alloys which then were examined by XRD and mic roscopy. The hydrogenative pre-treatment at a high hydrogen fugacity follow ed by annealing at 623 K, aimed at desorption of hydrogen, and an eventual exposure of the samples to air at room temperature to oxidize Zr, resulted in a distinct increase of catalytic activity in the dehydrogenation of 2-pr opanol. A tentative mechanism to account for enhancing the catalytic activi ty induced by the above combined pre-treatment including correlations betwe en catalytic performance (activity, selectivity) and physical characteristi cs (morphology, XRD features, Cu(0) specific surface areas) is discussed. ( C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.