The characteristics of a micro catalytic combustor of mm scale was investigated. The
nano-porous surface structure was fabricated on the p-type silicon substrate by
electrochemical etching and was used as the catalyst support. Through parametric study
of current density and etching time, the optimum fabrication process for porous silicon
with diameter of 1 ~ 2㎛ and average pore of 25㎛ was determined. The coated
substrate was tested in a micro channel combustor made of SUS 304. The exhaust gas
was sampled and analyzed for the combustion efficiency. The temperature of the micro
channel combustor over was 400℃ after 30 minutes of operation. The conversion rate of
hydrogen was over 95%. Based on the results, the platinum coated porous silicon
demonstrated a good candidate for catalyst support in a MEMS combustor.