High-resolution analytical electron microscopy (HRAEM) study of LaCo5 intermetallic catalysts

Intermetal1ic compounds, such as LaCo5, have been used as active and selective catalysts in chemical reaction involving (CO,H2) mixtures. The general understanding regarding these catalysts is that the observed activation is associated with a partial transformation of the intermetallic component into a metal-support system. The macroscopic study of LaCo3 by use of synchrotron radiation absorption measurements (EXAFS and XANES data analysis) largely support this hypothesis. In this work, the microscopic structure of these catalysts has been studied by HRAEM.