Preparation of iron-nickel catalysts by mechanical alloying

Raney type catalysts were prepared by means of a two-step procedure: (i) mechanical alloying (MA) of the metals and (ii) alkaline aluminum leaching. MA is a novel alternative related to the synthesis of skeletal Ni catalysts. Catalyst characterization was performed by atomic absorption (AA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Moessbauer spectroscopy (MS). Textural studies were also carried out. Binary Al-Ni and ternary Al-Ni-Fe alloys were produced by MA from pure metallic powders; in particular, the intermetallic β-(AlNi) phase was formed with a fine microstructure as a non-equilibrium phase; then, aluminum was selectively removed. After aluminum leaching, the β-(AlNi) phase was transformed into the more stable nickel fcc structure.