Monometallics single metals on amorphous alumina

Model metal catalysts can be prepared by vacuum evaporation of the metal on supports and this method offers a simple and convenient way of investigating surface reactions between metals and gases. Some selected examples of support preparations are as follows. 

Non-porous amorphous alumina films (several hundred Angstroms thick) can be prepared by the anodic oxidation of clean, high-purity Al. The oxide film is separated by dissolving any unoxidized metal in a mercury chloride solution. The oxide films are then washed in distilled water and collected on suitable electron microscopy grids. They are dried and heated to 800 C to obtain amorphous AI2O3. High-purity wires of the desired metals can then be vacuum evaporated on to the films in an evaporator. These films can also be prepared using Al-nitrate, 

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