Nitrogen-doped ordered porous carbon catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Three different N-doped ordered porous carbons (CNx) were produced by a nanocasting process using polyaniline as the carbon and nitrogen precursor. A pyrolysis treatment of iron chloride-impregnated CNx under nitrogen is used in the preparation of the carbon composite catalysts, and this is followed by posttreatments and optimization of the iron loading and the pore size. Exploration of the catalytic activity of the CNx products for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using rotating disk electrode measurements and single-cell tests shows that the onset potential for ORR of the most effective catalyst in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ is as high as 0.9 V vs. the normal hydrogen electrode. A proton exchange membrane fuel cell constructed with the catalyst exhibits a current density as high as 0.52 A cm^?2 at 0.6 V with 2 atm back pressure using a cathode catalyst loading of 6 mg cm^?2. The average pore diameters of synthesized CNx-12, CNx-15, and CNx-16 are 0.7, 4.3, and 14 nm, respectively. It is observed that the pore size and specific surface area are an important factor for increased catalyst activity. The pore size of the most effective catalysts is found to be 4.3 nm.     

Nanofiber cellulose di- and tri-acetate using ferric chloride as a catalyst promoting highly efficient synthesis under microwave irradiation

An efficient method for the generation of cellulose di- and tri-acetate nano-structures is obtained through testing ferric chloride hydrate (FeCl₃·6H₂O) as a valuable Lewis acid catalyst with acetic anhydride under microwave irradiation. Our target was to evaluate the effects of the reaction conditions on the products' properties such as surface area and particle size distribution. It was found that changes in the degree of substitution (DS), the surface area, the degree of polymerization and the particle size distribution of the products correlated with reaction conditions. Cellulose tri-acetate nanofibers with DS of 2.94 with 98.03% yield was prepared using 200 mg of FeCl₃·6H₂O, 25 ml of Ac₂O and 4 minutes of microwave irradiation. Also, cellulose di-acetate nanofibers were prepared with DS values ranged between 2.37 and 2.72 with yield ranged between 78.92 and 90.58%. The percentage of acetyl groups (Ac%) as well as the BET specific surface area, total pore volume, mean pore diameter, mono layer volume and the mean particle size of the products were determined. The maximum specific surface area obtained for the acetylated cellulose was about ten times larger than that measured for the commercial cotton cellulose and about six times larger than that of the commercial cellulose acetate. The lowest mean particle size (34.90 nm) was about eleven times smaller than the mean particle size of the commercial cellulose acetate (394 nm). The present work has proved that FeCl₃·6H₂O was a highly active catalyst for the esterification of cellulose with unexpected yields and for the formation of nanofibers with low molecular weight.     

Adsorption of SO2 by typical carbonaceous material: a comparative study of carbon nanotubes and activated carbons

Applying activated carbons for SO₂ adsorption and conversion to H₂SO₄, as a dry process, has been considered the development direction of desulfurization technology. Coal-based activated carbon, coconut shell activated carbon, single wall carbon nanotube and multi-wall carbon nanotubes were used as typical carbonaceous materials to study the SO₂ adsorption mechanism. SEM, N₂ adsorption, XPS and fixed-bed reaction system were employed to study the morphology, pore structure, surface functional groups and SO₂ adsorption behaviors of the four adsorbents. The fixed-bed experiment was carried out at normal pressure and SO₂ concentration was set 1,000 ppm. According to SEM and N₂ adsorption results, hierarchical pore structure was an important characteristic of activated carbon. Aggregation was an important characteristic of CNTs. Mesopores and macropores took the dominance of pore structure in CNTs. According the SO₂ adsorption data and correlation analysis, it can be concluded that the dominant adsorption type on activated carbons does not alter with adsorption temperature changing. However, the adsorption type of SO₂ adsorption on CNTs changes with adsorption temperature varying. With adsorption temperature increasing, the dominant adsorption type transforms to chemisorption by physisorption. Higher-density π–π* in carbon nanotubes may be the active sites for the SO₂ chemical adsorption. Micropores with the diameter smaller than 0.7 nm were the best SO₂ adsorption place for both activated carbons and carbon nanotubes. The results provided a profound insight into the microstructure and SO₂ adsorption mechanism of the two kinds of carbonaceous materials.     

Preparation of activated carbon from waste Camellia oleifera shell for supercapacitor application

The cost-effective activated carbons derived from waste Camellia oleifera shell (COS) by ZnCl₂ activation method are investigated as the active electrode material in electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) for the first time. The activation temperature and ZnCl₂/COS impregnation ratio are two key factors affecting the surface area and pore structure of the prepared activated carbons, which accordingly affect their capacitive performances. Electrochemical investigations indicate that the activated carbon (AC-3-600) obtained at the activation temperature of 600 °C and impregnation ratio of 3 shows the maximum specific capacitance of 374 and 266 F?g^?1 in 1 mol L^?1 H₂SO₄ and 6 mol L^?1 KOH electrolytes at 0.2 A g^?1, respectively. The high capacitance of the AC-3-600 is attributed to its high surface area (1,935 m² g^?1), high total pore volume (1.02 cm³ g^?1), and especially the large percentage of micropores (735 m² g^?1). Meanwhile, the activated carbon presents good cycle stability in both acid and alkaline electrolytes during 5,000 cycles at a fair current density of 4 A g^?1. So, we had reasons to believe that the activated carbons from waste COS by ZnCl₂ activation might be one of the innovative carbon electrode materials for EDLCs application.     

Impact of the Pt catalyst on the oxygen electroreduction reaction kinetics on various carbon supports

Micro- and mesoporous carbide-derived carbons synthesized from molybdenum and tungsten carbides were used as porous supports for a platinum catalyst. Synthesized materials were compared with commercial Vulcan XC72R conducting furnace black. The scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and low-temperature N₂ adsorption methods were applied to characterize the structure of catalysts prepared. The kinetics of oxygen electroreduction in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution was studied using cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode methods. The synthesized carbide-derived carbons exhibited high specific surface area and narrow pore size distribution. The platinum catalyst was deposited onto the surface of a carbon support in the form of nanoparticles or agglomerates of nanoparticles. Comparison of carbide-derived carbons and Vulcan XC72R as a support showed that the catalysts prepared using carbide-derived carbons are more active towards oxygen electroreduction. It was shown that the structure of the carbon support has a great influence on the activity of the catalyst towards oxygen electroreduction.     

Ultrafine molybdenum carbide nanoparticles supported on nitrogen doped carbon nanosheets for hydrogen evolution reaction

Nitrogen doped carbon nanosheets supported molybdenum carbides nanoparticles (Mo_xC/NCS) have been synthesized by tuning the mass ratio of melamine and ammonia molybdate. The Mo₂C/NCS-10 exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance and stability for HER, which was attributed to N-doped carbon nanosheets, small particle size, mesoporous structure, and large electrochemical active surface area.     

Preparation and microstructure of sol-gel derived silver-doped silica

Silver-doped silica was prepared by hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, Si(OC₂H₅)₄) in the presence of a silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solution by two different synthesis methods. In the first synthesis route, sol-gel mixtures were prepared using an acid catalyst. In the second synthesis route, silver-doped silica gels were formed by two-step acid/base catalysis. For the same concentration of silver dopant [AgNO₃]/[TEOS] = 0.015 acid-catalyzed sol-gel formed a microporous silica with an average pore size of <25 Å whereas the two-step catalyzed silica had an average pore size of 250 Å and exhibited a mesoporous structure when fully dried. The differences in the pore size affected the silver particle formation mechanism and post-calcination silver particle size. After calcination at 800 °C for 2 h the acid-catalyzed silica contained metallic silver particles size with an average particle size of 24 ± 2 nm whereas two-step catalyzed silica with the same concentration of [AgNO₃]/[TEOS] = 0.015 contained silver nanoparticles with an average size of approximately 32 ± 2 nm. Mechanisms for silver particle formation and for silica matrix crystallization with respect to the processing route and calcination temperature are discussed.     

Fabrication of AAO films with controllable nanopore size by changing electrolytes and electrolytic parameters

In this paper, we fabricate two kinds of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films with controllable nanopore size by changing electrolytes and electrolytic parameters. The first AAO film with a four-layer structure was fabricated by sequential anodization of aluminum in aqueous solution of H₂SO₄, H₂C₂O₄, malonic acid, and tartaric acid at different anodic oxidation voltages. The average pore diameter of the as-prepared AAO film is 25 nm in the first layer, 54 nm in the second layer, 68 nm in the third layer, and 88 nm in the fourth layer, respectively. The pore densities of each layer decrease downwards to Al substrate, which are 300?×?10⁸, 100?×?10⁸, 21?×?10⁸, and 6.9?×?10⁸ cm^?2, respectively. Furthermore, another AAO film with periodically changed pore diameter was fabricated by alternating anodization of aluminum in aqueous solution of H₃PO₄ and tartaric acid under galvanostatic mode. The anodization processes present approximately identical best ordering voltage (195 V) in H₃PO₄ and tartaric acid under galvanostatic mode. The pore diameter with periodic change can be enlarged through a pore-widening treatment. Both AAO films with special nanopore structures can be used not only as templates for preparing nano-array materials whose pore diameter presents periodic change or gradual increase, but also as nanofilters to separate materials in some special media.     

Synthesis of mesoporous SnO2 nanomaterials with selective gas-sensing properties

Using SBA-15/KIT-5/KIT-6 as the hard templates, the mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials with different structures were synthesized by nanocasting. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption isotherms were used to testify their structure characteristics. These mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials showed high specific surface areas (57–96 m² g^?1) and pore volume (0.17–0.27 cm³ g^?1). The nanopore of these templates makes the nanosize particle of the final mesoporous SnO₂ nanomaterials (4–9 nm) at last. The sensing properties of acetone, ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol were investigated. The response of SnO₂-15, SnO₂-5, and SnO₂-6 are 17.0, 19.5, and 16.1, respectively as the concentration of ethyl alcohol on 200 ppm. The sensitivity of SnO₂-5 is 28.2 as the concentration of acetone was increased to 200 ppm. With the large surface area, high pore volume, and nanosized particles (close to 2 L = 6 nm of SnO₂), the SnO₂-5 show four fold enhancement in sensitivity compared to commercial SnO₂ powder and low detection limit (even at 200 ppb). The surface area and particle size play a significant party in the gas response. With the large surface area and smallest particle size, SnO₂-5 shows the highest sensitivity of all. These mesoporous nanomaterials show well potential application on the gas response.     

Supercapacitors based on carbide-derived carbons synthesised using HCl and Cl2 as reactants

Micro- and mesoporous carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) were synthesised from TiC powder via a gas-phase reaction using HCl and Cl₂ within the temperature range of 700–1,100 °C. Analysis of X-ray diffraction results show that TiC-CDCs consist mainly of graphitic crystallites. The first-order Raman spectra showed the graphite-like absorption peaks at ~1,577 cm^?1 and the disorder-induced peaks at ~1,338 cm^?1. The low-temperature N₂ sorption experiments were performed, and specific surface areas up to 1,214 and 1,544 m²?g^?1 were obtained for TiC-CDC (HCl) synthesised at T?=?800 °C and TiC-CDC (Cl₂) synthesised at T?=?900 °C, respectively. For the TiC-CDC powders synthesised, a bimodal pore size distribution has been established with the first maximum in the region up to 1.5 nm and the second maximum from 2 to 4 nm. The energy-related properties of supercapacitors based on 1 M (C₂H₅)₃CH₃NBF₄ in acetonitrile and TiC-CDC (Cl₂) and TiC-CDC (HCl) as electrode materials were also investigated by cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic charge/discharge and constant power methods. The specific energy, calculated at U?=?3.0 V, are maximal for TiC-CDC (Cl₂ 800 °C) and TiC-CDC (HCl 900 °C), which are 43.1 and 31.1 W?h?kg^?1, respectively. The specific power, calculated at cell potential U?=?3.0 V, are maximal for TiC-CDC (Cl₂ 1,000 °C) and TiC-CDC (HCl 1,000 °C), which are 805.2 and 847.5 kW?kg^?1, respectively. The Ragone plots for CDCs prepared by using Cl₂ or HCl are quite similar, and at high power loads, the TiC-CDC material synthesised using Cl₂ at 900 °C, i.e. the material with optimal pore structure, delivers the highest power at constant energy.     

Macroporous Activated Carbon Fibers from Rayon Precursors Impregnated with Phosphoric Acid

Novel activated carbon fibers (ACFs) from rayon precursors impregnated with phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), containing abundant macropores (pore size>50 nm), were successfully obtained. The physical properties of these ACFs were examined. The BET surface was obtained; SEM observations showed that the concentration of H₃PO₄ impregnation strongly influenced the surface morphology and the porous texture of the resulting ACFs. The shape of the pores was nearly round and we could estimate the pore size was distributed between 20 and 150 nm. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) was applied to investigate the pyrolysis process of the rayon precursors with H₃PO_4. In addition, P‐containing substances, which should perhaps be acid phosphates or polyphosphates, can be observed on the surface of the resulting ACFs from SEM photos. Impregnation made the dehydration become more predominant during the pyrolysis process.     

由微孔棒状羟基磷灰石为模板合成的新型层次孔炭材料的电化学电容性能

电化学电容器已经成为极具潜力的可满足高功率需求的储能系统器件. 多孔炭具有大比表面积、高导电性、化学惰性、廉价及可调孔结构等优势, 因此成为电化学电容器最为常用的电极材料. 本文报道由微孔棒状羟基磷灰石为模板及蔗糖为碳源合成的新型具有层次孔道结构的孔炭材料的电化学电容器的性能. 采用X射线衍射分析仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱及BET表面分析仪表征了合成的多孔炭的形貌及表面特性. 采用循环伏安法、交流阻抗图谱分析及恒流充放电评价多孔炭材料在1 mol·L^-1硫酸中的电化学电容性能. 多孔炭具有高的比表面积(719.7 m²·g^-1)和大的孔容(1.32 cm³·g^-1), 其无序的孔道由任意分布的微孔、坍塌的中孔及类模板形状的相互交织的棒状中孔组成. 随着炭化温度的增加, 微孔及棒状中孔的密度随之降低, 在炭化温度高达900℃时, 孔径分布图上出现了三个峰. 正是由于这些特殊的结构特征, 由900℃炭化得到的多孔炭制成的电极展示出很好的电化学电容性能.     

Hydrogen adsorption in transition metal carbon nano-structures

Templated microporous carbons were synthesized from metal impregnated zeolite Y templates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize morphology and structure of the generated carbon materials. The surface area, micro- and meso-pore volumes, as well as the pore size distribution of all the carbon materials were determined by N₂ adsorption at 77 K and correlated to their hydrogen storage capacity. All the hydrogen adsorption isotherms were Type 1 and reversible, indicating physisorption at 77 K. Most templated carbons show good hydrogen storage with the best sample Rh-C having surface area 1817 m²/g and micropore volume 1.04 cm³/g, achieving the highest as 8.8 mmol/g hydrogen storage capacity at 77 K, 1 bar. Comparison between activated carbons and synthesized templated carbons revealed that the hydrogen adsorption in the latter carbon samples occurs mainly by pore filling and smaller pores of sizes around 6 Å to 8 Å are filled initially, followed by larger micropores. Overall, hydrogen adsorption was found to be dependent on the micropore volume as well as the pore-size, larger micropore volumes showing higher hydrogen adsorption capacity.     

Consecutive preparation of hydrochar catalyst functionalized in situ with sulfonic groups for efficient cellulose hydrolysis

Hydrochars in situ functionalized with –SO₃H groups were generated from kenaf core via a low-temperature hydrothermal carbonization process of 105 °C with a consecutive catalysis of H₂SO₄. The micro-morphology of the hydrochars was strongly affected by the sulfuric acid concentration. Sphere-like particles with size varying between 200 nm and 1 μm were obtained when the acid concentration was 52 wt%. Acid density of the hydrochar increased with the H₂SO₄ concentration increasing. The presence of considerable acidic groups of –SO₃H, –COOH, and –OH on the surface of hydrochars was evidenced by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrochar obtained can be used directly for effective catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose without any post-modification. This study proposed a promising sustainable and cost-effective route for facile production of acidic hydrochar from crude plant with tunable properties.     

Preparation and performance of polyvinyl alcohol-based activated carbon as electrode material in both aqueous and organic electrolytes

Porous carbon materials with high surface area and different pore structure have been successfully prepared by phenolic resin combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and KOH as activation agents. The surface morphology, structure, and specific surface area of the carbon materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen sorption measurement, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of specific surface area, pore structure, and electrolyte on electrochemical properties were investigated by galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement. The results show that KOH–PVA-activated carbon materials display specific capacitance as high as 218 F?g^?1 in 30 wt.% KOH aqueous electrolyte, 147 F?g^?1 in 1 M LiPF₆/(ethylene carbonate (EC) + dimethyl carbonate) (1:1?v/v), and 115 F?g^?1 in 1 M Et₃MeNBF₄/propylene carbonate organic electrolyte, respectively. In addition, the carbon materials demonstrate long-term cycle stability, especially the AK3P-0.30 in aqueous electrolyte and the AK2P-0.30 with excellent rate capability in organic electrolyte. These reveal that the existence of a micro-mesoporous structure of activated carbon is beneficial to store energy in an aqueous supercapacitor and broad pore size distribution of activated carbon is favorable to energy storage in an organic supercapacitor. The carbon materials with pore size distribution in different ranges improve the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor in different electrolytes. A new pore-expand agent (PVA combining with KOH) was used to obtain porous carbons with enhanced properties for supercapacitor.     

Fabrication and characterization of dodecylamine derived monodispersed mesoporous bioactive glass sub-micron spheres

This paper reports a facile method for fabricating monodispersed mesoporous bioactive glass sub-micron spheres (MBGS) using dodecylamine (DDA) as a catalyst and template agent in sol–gel process. The effects of synthesis conditions including the amount of DDA, temperature of hydrolysis and the volume ratio of alcohol to water (AW ratio) on the resulting particle size, morphology, monodispersity and pore size distribution of MBGS are investigated and discussed. The results indicate that the particle size, morphology, monodispersity and pore size distribution of MBGS depend on the amount of DDA, the temperature of hydrolysis and the AW ratio. Meanwhile, using DDA as the structure directing agent and hydrolysis catalyst under optimal synthesis conditions (e.g. 4 g DDA, hydrolysis temperature at 40 °C and AW ratio at 4) is in favor of obtaining MBGS with mesoporous surface structure, large specific surface area (362.073 m² g^?1), relatively homogeneous particle size (~560 nm) as well as good apatite-forming activity. The unique structure and properties may turn MBGS into a good candidate as a drug delivery carrier or an injectable biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration.     

The effects of preparation temperature on microstructure and electrochemical performance of calcium carbide-derived carbon

Calcium carbide-derived carbons (CCDCs) produced by chlorination of CaC₂ at various temperatures (400–800 °C) possess highly controllable microstructure and porosity, allowing them to serve as excellent electrode materials for the application of supercapacitor. This paper focused on the effect of pore size and specific surface area (SSA) of CCDC on its electrochemical behavior. Microstructure and micropore characteristics of CCDC were characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that SSA and average pore size increased with the increase of synthesis temperature from 400 °C to 600 °C, and then decreased when temperature reached to 800 °C. Meanwhile, a correlation between specific capacitance and SSA of micropores (less than 2 nm in diameter) has been studied. It has been found that the supercapacitor using the CCDC prepared at 600 °C as electrode material in 6 M KOH showed the maximum specific capacitance and energy density (53.61 F g^?1 and 7.08 W h kg^?1), outstanding rate capability, lower IR drop and 96 % retention of initial capacity over 5,000 cycles.     

A Study of the Zn-based Desulfurization Sorbents for H2S Removal in the IGCC

The various Zn-based sorbents were prepared by physical mixing method and co-precipitation method. The sulfur removing capacity and regeneration properties of the various sorbents were measured in fixed bed reactor at middle temperature condition (sulfidation process 480 °C, regeneration process 580 °C). The sulfur removing capacities of the sorbents were depended on the physical properties such as pore volume, surface area and particle size. The Zn-based sorbents prepared by co-precipitation method were higher pore volume, surface area and smaller particle size resulting in the higher capacities than those prepared by the physical mixing method. To improve the regeneration properties of the sorbents, the various promoters such as cobalt, iron, nickel and cerium were added to the sorbents. The promoters have various roles with the kind of promoter. The roles of promoters could be explained by heat effect and catalytic effect of the promoters. Also, the alloyed structure like spinel structure (ZnTi₂O₄) has been proposed to explain the superior regeneration properties compared to the single ZnO structure. In addition, the simultaneous removals of the H₂S and NH₃ over the Zn–Al-based sorbents were tested at 650 °C. So, the new process for simultaneous removal using the developed Zn-based sorbents could be proposed. The role of promoters, effect of hydrogen potential pressure and the deactivation mechanism including the sulfidation of metal oxide to metal sulfide were also discussed.     

Kinetics of protein adsorption by nanoporous carbons with different pore size

Kinetics of bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin adsorption by nanoporous carbons with different main pore sizes (1.6, 5, 7.8 and 28 nm) was studied. Experimental kinetics curves were well described by multi-exponential equation with different number of exponents (from 1 to 4). Protein adsorption kinetics showed significant dependence on pore size of carbonaceous adsorbent. Correlation between pore size distribution and amount of protein adsorbed revealed threshold pore size 7.3 nm for BSA and 6.8 nm for OVA, which are close to hydrodynamic diameter of protein molecules. The fastest and the highest adsorption of proteins were observed in carbons having developed porosity with pore sizes larger than 15 nm.     

球磨时间对浆态床CO甲烷化Ni-Al_2O_3催化剂性能的影响

结合行星式球磨机,采用低温固相法制备Ni-Al_2O_3催化剂,考察了球磨时间对Ni-Al_2O_3催化剂晶相结构(XRD)、还原特征(H2-TPR)、孔道结构(BET)、粒径分布(PSD)、表面形貌(SEM)和浆态床CO甲烷化性能的影响.结果表明,球磨时间为60 min,催化剂(CT-60)平均粒径最小,为141 nm;比表面积最大,为329 m2/g.随球磨时间延长,Ni-Al_2O_3催化剂的甲烷化性能(CO转化率、CH_4选择性和CH_4收率)均先增加后减少.其中,球磨时间为60 min制备的催化剂(CT-60)甲烷化性能最佳,其CO转化率、CH_4选择性和CH_4收率分别达87.9%、8 6.8%和74.3%.结合催化剂表征可知,CT-60优异的性能与其具有较小的颗粒尺寸(141 nm)和较大的比表面积(329 m2·g-1)有很大的关联.即,催化剂颗粒尺寸越小,比表面积越大,其性能越好.