Preparation of Cu–Fe–Al–O nanosheets and their catalytic application in methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production

Candidates of precious metal catalysts, prepared in a facile and environmental way and showing high catalytic performances at low temperatures, are always highly desired by industry. In this work, large-scale Cu–Fe–Al–O nanosheets were synthesized by facile dealloying of Al–Cu–Fe alloys in NaOH solution. The composition, microscopic morphology, and crystal structure were respectively investigated using wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy with an electron probe microanalyzer, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, we found that the 2D Cu–Fe–Al–O nanosheets gave excellent catalytic performances in hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming at relatively low temperatures, e.g. 513 K.