PdZn catalysts prepared by washcoating microstructured reactors Original Research Article

Methanol steam reforming is an option for dynamic hydrogen generation in automotive fuel cell systems. Microstructured reactors with small channels (100 μm×100 μm) are being studied. A washcoating procedure applying dispersed ZnO nanoparticles to the microchannel walls was adapted to the PdZn catalyst system. The catalyst layer showed no significant differences during X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed oxidation and reduction experiments for examination of oxidation state and alloy formation compared with other PdZn systems reported in the literature. Chemisorption with different adsorbates and X-ray backscattering were used for gathering detailed information on PdZn dispersion, diameter and shape with respect to the preparation parameters. Catalytic experiments yielded a relationship between the catalyst properties and the catalytic activity, degradation and secondary reactions.