ACTIVATING PRETREATMENT AND SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF AMORPHOUS ALLOY NI63ZR37 CATALYST

Amorphous Ni63Zr37 alloy ribbon surface exhibited high catalytic activity for hydrogenation of ethyne to ethylene, when the alloy ribbon surface was pretreated with a dilute acid solution and heated under negative atmospheric pressure successively. The elemental composition and chemical characteristics as a function of depth below the surface has been determined by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-rav photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with the use of argon ion bombardment. The ribbon structure and surface area were estimated by XRD and BET method. The experimental results show that raw "amorphous alloy surface was covered by a thin layer of oxides of zirconium. After pretreatment, the surface area was changed from 0.05 m2/g to 15.41 m2/g, elemental Ni to Zr ratio on the ribbon surface was changed from Ne equal-to-or-less-than 1 Zr greater-than-or-equal-to 99 to Ni57 Zr43. The decrease of surface zirconium concentration reduces the Ni2p3/2 binding energy of surface nickel.