Preparation of Cu/ZnO for fabrication of a micro methanol reformer

Abstract

Three synthesis procedures of Cu/ZnO catalyst for steam reforming of methanol were tested for loading in a micro reactor. The best procedure that resulted in the strong adhesion to the wafer was determined out of the tested procedures. The molecular structure of the synthesized catalyst was examined by XRD and its performance in methanol conversion was measured. A micro fabrication method that incorporates the catalyst loading and micro structure processing was developed. A MEMS methanol steam reformer was built by this process and the completed device resulted in methanol conversion of 93%.