Headwaters Technology Innovation, LLC

Dalian Institute

Changkun Liu

Bing Zhou

Zhihua Wu

Zhenhua Zhou

Gongquan Sun

Shiguo Sun

Qin Xin

Shuihua Tang

Cheng Zhang

Wei Wang

Horacio Trevino

Martin Fransson

Clementine Reyes

Horacio Treviño

Wei Zheng

Ce Wang

Hongnan Zhang

Zhenyu Li

A self-cleaning humidity sensor based on Mg/Na-doped TiOnanofiber mats is provided. Examples show the response and recovery characteristic curves for ten circles with the RH changing from 11% to 95%. The nanofibers are manufactured by mixing together a metal salt comprising titanium, a magnesium compound, a sodium compound, and a high molecular weight material to form a mixture, electrospinning the mixture to form composite nanofibers, and calcining the composite nanofibers to yield a TiOnanofiber material doped with magnesium and sodium.

Nanofibers and methods of making same and using same in humidity sensors

The fuel cells include electrode membrane assemblies having a nanoparticle catalyst supported on carbon nanorings. The carbon nanorings are formed from one or more carbon layers that form a wall that defines a generally annular nanostructure having a hole. The length of the nanoring is less than or about equal to the outer diameter thereof. The nanorings exhibit high surface area, high porosity, high graphitization, and/or facilitate mass transfer and electron transfer in fuel cell reactions.

Fuel cells and fuel cell catalysts incorporating a nanoring support

Inorganic oxide substrates are functionalized with silicon-free organic functionalizing agents. The organic functionalizing agent has a bonding functional group for bonding to the substrate and a functionalizing moiety that is not bonded to the substrate for imparting a desired functionality to the substrate. The functionalized inorganic oxide substrates are manufactured by selecting a functionalizing agent and reaction conditions that allows the bonding functional group to bond to the inorganic material while leaving the functionalizing moiety available for providing the desired functionality. The functionalized inorganic oxides can be used as filler materials in polymers or to manufacture a supported nanoparticle catalyst.

Methods for manufacturing functionalized inorganic oxides and polymers incorporating same

Methods for manufacturing carbon nanostructures include 1) forming intermediate carbon nanostructures by polymerizing a carbon precursor in the presence of templating nanoparticles, 2) carbonizing the intermediate carbon nanostructures to form an intermediate composite nanostructure, and 3) removing the templating nanoparticles from the intermediate composite nanostructure to form carbon nanorings. The carbon nanorings manufactured using the foregoing steps have one or more carbon layers forming a wall that defines a generally annular nanostructure having a hole. The length of the nanoring is less than or about equal to the outer diameter thereof. The carbon nanostructures are well-suited for use as a fuel cell catalyst support. The carbon nanostructures exhibit high surface area, high porosity, high graphitization, and facilitate mass transfer and electron transfer in fuel cell reactions. Carbon nanorings manufactured according to the present invention can be used as a substitute for more expensive and likely more fragile carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanorings manufactured from templating nanoparticles

Organic ligands that contain at least one aryl group are immobilized on a solid support. The organic ligands are of the type used to form a catalyst complex suitable for carrying out a catalytic reaction, preferably an asymmetric reaction. To immobilize the organic ligands, a tethering group is bonded to the ligand using, for example, a Friedel-Crafts acylation or alkylation reaction. The immobilization of the organic ligand can be carried out using a single reaction with the organic ligand.

Methods for making immobilized aryl-containing ligands

Methods for manufacturing carbon nanostructures include: 1) forming a plurality of catalytic templating particles using a plurality of dispersing agent molecules; 2) forming an intermediate carbon nanostructure by polymerizing a carbon precursor in the presence of the plurality of templating nanoparticles; 3) carbonizing the intermediate carbon nanostructure to form a composite nanostructure; and 4) removing the templating nanoparticles from the composite nanostructure to yield the carbon nanostructures. The carbon nanostructures are well-suited for use as a catalyst support. The carbon nanostructures exhibit high surface area, high porosity, and high graphitization. Carbon nanostructures according to the invention can be used as a substitute for more expensive and likely more fragile carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanostructures manufactured from catalytic templating nanoparticles

Conductive polymers are purified using a solid scavenger. The solid scavengers include metal-scavenging functional groups linked to the surface of a particle support material. To improve the functionalization of the support material, the support materials are first treated with sulfuric acid or nitric acid before attaching the molecules containing the metal-scavenging functional groups. The solid scavengers used in the purification methods are more efficient at removing impurities in conductive polymers than existing scavengers.

Methods for purifying polymers using solid scavengers

Reforming nanocatalysts are formed using a dispersing agent to increase the activity, selectivity and longevity of the catalyst when used in a reforming process. The nanocatalyst particles are formed using a dispersing agent having at least one functional group selected from the group of a hydroxyl, a carboxyl, a carbonyl, an amide, an amine, a thiol, a sulfonic acid, sulfonyl halide, an acyl halide, an organometallic complex, and combinations of these. The dispersing agent is particularly useful for forming multicomponent catalysts comprising an alloy, combination, mixture, decoration, or interspersion of platinum and one or more of tin, rhenium or iridium. The formation of the nanoparticles may include a heat treating process performed in an inert or oxidative environment to maintain the catalyst atoms in a non-zero oxidation state to thereby maintain a stronger bond between the dispersing agent and the catalyst atoms. Multicomponent reforming catalysts having anchored nanocatalyst particles exhibit particularly good activity, selectivity and longevity when used in the reforming of naphtha and/or formation of BTX.

Reforming nanocatalysts and method of making and using such catalysts

Aryl-aryl coupled polymers are manufactured using a water-soluble noble metal catalyst. The hydrophilicity of the catalyst facilitates the separation of the catalyst from the polymer product. The method can be generally carried out by preparing a reaction medium comprising an aqueous phase and an organic phase. A water-soluble noble metal catalyst is dispersed in the aqueous phase. A base is also dispersed in the aqueous phase. An aryl-aryl coupled polymer is formed in the reaction medium by (i) adding at least one polymerizable monomer to the reaction mixture; and (ii) mixing the aqueous phase with the organic phase to cause polymerization of the monomer through an aryl-aryl coupling reaction. The polymer has a greater solubility in the organic phase than the aqueous phase. Allowing the organic phase to separate from the aqueous phase separates the water soluble catalyst from the polymer. The reaction can be used to manufacture high molecular weight polymers (e.g. at least 10,000 g/mole) with low quantities of residual metal (e.g. less than 20 ppm).

Methods for manufacturing aryl-aryl coupled polymers

A catalyst manufacturing process includes heat treating an intermediate catalyst composition that includes catalyst nanoparticles having catalyst atoms in a non-zero oxidation state bonded to a dispersing/anchoring agent. The catalyst nanoparticles are formed using a dispersing agent having at least one functional group selected from the group of a hydroxyl, a carboxyl, a carbonyl, an amide, an amine, a thiol, a sulfonic acid, sulfonyl halide, an acyl halide, an organometallic complex, and combinations of these. The dispersing agent can be used to form single- or multicomponent supported nanocatalysts. The dispersing agent also acts as an anchoring agent to firmly bond the nanocatalyst to a support. Performing the heat treating process in an inert or oxidative environment to maintain the catalyst atoms in a non-zero oxidation helps maintains a stronger bonding interaction between the dispersing agent and the catalyst atoms. This, in turn, increases the dispersion and/or distribution of catalyst components throughout the supported catalyst.

Heat treatment of anchored nanocatalysts in a non-zero oxidation state and catalysts made by such method

A supported catalyst for hydrogenating nitro groups of halonitro compounds manufactured from a support, a solvent, and one or more types of organometallic complexes. The organometallic complexes have the formula: wherein, R-Rare independently an R, OR, OC(&#x2550;O)R, halogen, or combination thereof, where R stands for an alkyl or aryl group; Y-Yare independently an O, S, N, or P atom; and M is a metal atom. The supported catalysts show much higher selectivity and activity when used to hydrogenate nitro groups on halonitro aromatic compounds than catalyst currently being used for such hydrogenation.

Catalyst for selective hydrogenation of nitro groups of halonitro aromatic compounds

A supported catalyst for hydrogenating nitro groups of halonitro compounds manufactured from a support, a solvent, and a plurality of organometallic complexes. The organometallic complexes have the formula: wherein, R-R, are independently an R, OR, OC(&#x2550;O)R, halogen, or combination thereof, where R stands for an alkyl or aryl group; Y-Yare independently an O, S, N, or P atom; and M is a metal atom. The supported catalysts show much higher selectivity and activity when used to hydrogenate nitro groups on halonitro aromatic compounds than catalyst currently being used for such hydrogenation.

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Lawrenceville, NJ, United States of America

Changkun Liu