Engineering Commons^™

Morphology And Roughness Of Al2o3 On Ferritic Stainless Steel Foil For Diesel Catalytic Converter Applications, Megan Butala

Materials Engineering

The improved thermal properties of metal-substrate catalytic converters enable effective catalysis sooner after ignition than traditional ceramic monoliths, resulting in less harmful emissions. ACAT Global, a manufacturer of stainless steel catalytic converters, uses ferritic stainless steel substrates for low temperature catalytic converters for diesel automobiles. Production begins with an oxidizing heat treatment to increase surface roughness. The success of the second production step, the application of catalyst-containing ceramic slurry (washcoat), depends on the surface roughness that results from oxidation. Formation of the primary oxide of interest, alumina (Al₂O₃), is controlled by the stainless steel foil composition, …