We demonstrate for the first time that a short time of microwave irradiation on the oxide precursor of a Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst can provide unique opportunity for tailoring the microstructure and activity of the catalyst for methanol steam reforming. It is shown by in situ XRD that a considerable increase in the microstrain of Cu nanocrystals could be achieved in the catalysts processed by microwave irradiation for 310 min, which correlates well with the enhanced CH3OH conversion as observed on the corresponding samples. The present work also confirms that although the high specific surface area of Cu is a prerequisite for catalytic activity, it does not account for the observed changes in activity and selectivity alone without taking bulk microstructural changes into account.
