REINFORCEMENT OF OXIDE WHISKER GROWTH ON STAINLESS STEEL FOIL CONTAINING COLD-ROLLED ALUMINUM

摘要

Alumina whiskers are grown on cold-rolled Fe-Cr-Al alloy foil by a two-step oxidation treatment. A bare metal surface is initially oxidized by heating while exposing to a predominantly inert atmosphere containing 0.1 volume percent oxygen or less. Thereafter, the surface is further oxidized by heating while exposing to air to grow the whiskers. In a preferred embodiment, whisker-covered foil is coated with a catalyst-bearing alumina layer and suitably wound into a structure for use in an automotive catalytic converter.