ABSTRACT
The preparation of a supported metal catalyst with adequate physico-chemical characteristics leading to the properties required by a practical application is always a real challenge. Indeed, many characteristics relative to active metal particles, including high dispersion, adequate composition when formed of an alloy, low mobility, ... and to the support, including high and well distributed porosity, adequate acidity or basicity, thermal stability, leading to desired properties such as high activity, high selectivity, chemical, thermal and mechanical stability, rapid mass and heat transfers, ... have to be met in the same material. Moreover, as mentioned by LePage [1], one must avoid creating a structure that is only a laboratory curiosity which for technical or economic reasons cannot be manufactured on industrial scale.
