Iron and chromium based alloys have found wide application in various fields of science and technology. A primary carrier based on Fe-Cr-Al alloy is used in block catalysts for high-temperature hydrocarbon conversion, in production of block metal catalysts for neutralization of toxic gases released during operation of internal combustion engines, as well as those present in smoke emissions from enterprises. The influence of thermal action on Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil and stability of the secondary carrier on its surface was studied. The elemental composition of the surface layer of Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil does not remain constant during heating and depends on the thermal treatment mode. Some of the elements come to surface and the elemental composition of the surface layer can differ significantly from that observed in the bulk of the foil sample. This implies the possibility of changing the adhesive and adsorption properties of the foil surface, as well as the need to take this fact into account when supporting a secondary carrier and active phase to the foil. An applied technique of phosphating and supporting a secondary carrier at the foil surface makes it possible to obtain a sufficiently stable coating. There is no shedding of the secondary carrier from the foil surface during high-temperature treatment in air.

The purpose of this work is to study the influence of thermal effect on the surface morphology of the Fe–Cr–Al (Kh15Yu5) alloy foil and the elemental composition of the surface layers. Also, studies have been carried out on the physicochemical characteristics of the primary support with the deposited secondary support in the initial state and within the temperature range from 25 to 900 °C. The research was carried out on a JSM 6610 LV, JEOL scanning electron microscope with an installed INCA Energy 450 energy-dispersive microanalysis system. Before depositing secondary support (aluminum oxide), for a stronger adhesion to the foil metal, the foil surface was pretreated with a phosphating solution. It was found that during heating up the elemental composition of the surface layer of the Kh15Yu5-alloy foil does not remain constant and depends on the mode of thermal effect. This implies the possibility of changing the adhesion and adsorption properties of the foil surface, as well as the need to take this into account when depositing secondary support and an active phase to the foil. Studies have shown that the applied methods for phosphatizing and depositing secondary support to the foil surface make it possible to obtain a quite resistant coating. No peeling of the secondary support from the foil surface is observed during high-temperature treatment in the air.

The catalytically active vanadium-containing system of γ-Al2O3 was studied using a wide range of physical and chemical methods, depending on the synthesis conditions. It is shown that the vanadium-containing system includes several complexes with different thermal stabilities and catalytic activities. Low-active complexes are destroyed with the formation of more active ones based on V2O5 oxide, as the temperature of heat treatment increases. It can be assumed that V2O5 oxide has the decisive role in its catalytic activity. It was concluded that the vanadium-containing catalytic system on aluminium oxide, in the studied temperature range, is thermally stable and shows high activity not only in the reduction of nitrogen oxides but also in the oxidation of hydrocarbons (even of the most difficult ones, such as oxidizable methane). These properties of the system make it quite promising in the field of application for the purification of the exhaust gases of motor transport and industrial enterprises with environmentally harmful components, as well as for understanding the mechanism of the action of the catalysts in these processes, which is very important for solving the problems of decarbonization and achieving carbon neutrality.