Plasma-chemical preparation and properties of catalysts used in synthesis of ammonia

Thorough investigations, including thermodynamic calculations, were carried out on the plasma-chemical preparation of ammonia-synthesis catalysts in a quasi-equilibrium electric-are low-temperature plasma. Obtaining samples with maximal catalytic activity and thermal stability necessitated that the plasma-chemical process take place in a "cold wall" plasma-chemical reactor within the 1000-3000 K temperature interval; the activity of the "plasma" catalysts thus produced was higher by 15%-20% than that of their conventional industrial analogues. Various physicochemical and kinetic techniques were applied to characterize in detail the catalysts synthesized. Some considerations are given concerning the possible future development of plasma-chemical production of catalysts. (C) 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.