Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

The University of Akron

Other

Wintek Electro Optics Corporation

Li Qin Zhou

Michael Paul Rowe

Hongfei Jia

Debasish Banerjee

Kan Huang

Zhenmeng Peng

Xiaochen Shen

Minjuan Zhang

Hisao Kato

David E Stevenson

Chen Ling

Tomoyuki Nagai

Masahiko Ishii

Krishna R Gunugunuri

Takuji Kita

Qi Hua Fan

Kecheng Wei

Yumi Kato

A fuel cell catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions including Pt—Ni—Cu nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (MPC) having enhanced activity and durability, and method of making said catalyst. The catalyst is synthesized by employing a solid state chemistry method, which involves thermally pretreating a N-doped MPC to remove moisture from the surface; impregnation of metal precursors on the N-doped MPC under vacuum condition; and reducing the metal precurors in a stream of CO and Hgas mixture.

Fuel cell cathode catalyst

A fuel cell catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions including Pt&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;Cu nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon (MPC) having enhanced activity and durability, and method of making said catalyst. The catalyst is synthesized by employing a solid state chemistry method, which involves thermally pretreating a N-doped MPC to remove moisture from the surface; impregnation of metal precursors on the N-doped MPC under vacuum condition; and reducing the metal precursors in a stream of CO and Hgas mixture.

An electrode catalyst for an oxygen reduction reaction including intermetallic L1-NiPtAg alloy nanoparticles having enhanced ORR activity and durability. The catalyst including intermetallic L1-NiPtAg alloy nanoparticles is synthesized by employing silver (Ag) as a dopant and annealing under specific conditions to form the intermetallic structure. In one example, the intermetallic L1-NiPtAg alloy nanoparticles are represented by the formula: NiPtAgwherein 0.4&#x2264;x&#x2264;0.6, 0.4&#x2264;y&#x2264;0.6, z&#x2264;0.1.

Intermetallic L10-NiPtAg catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Improved oxygen reduction reaction catalysts include octahedral nanoparticles of a platinum-copper-nickel alloy contacted by a secondary ionomer. The alloy can have a formula of PtCuNi, and the secondary ionomer can include an ionic liquid, 1-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-1H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-9-ium 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4-nonafluorobutane-1-sulfonate ([MTBD][CFSO]). The oxygen reductions catalysts have improved stability, as well as mass area and specific area comparted to competing catalysts.

Composite made of ionic liquid and octahedral Pt&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;Cu alloy nanoparticles for oxygen reduction catalysis

An oxygen evolution catalyst of the formula: SrMCoOwhere M=Al, Ga wherein M is bonded with four oxygen atoms to form a tetrahedron. The catalyst is operated at a potential of less than 1.58 volts vs. RHE at a current density of 50 &#x3bc;A/cmfor a pH of 7-13. The catalyst is operated at a potential of less than 1.55 volts vs. RHE at a current density of 50 &#x3bc;A/cmand a pH of 13. The oxygen evolution catalyst of the formula: SrGaCoOwherein the catalyst is operated at a potential of less than 1.53 volts vs. RHE at a current density of 50 &#x3bc;A/cmand a pH of 7. The oxygen evolution catalyst of formula: SrGaCoOwherein the catalyst maintains a current within 94% after 300 minutes at a potential of 1.645 volts vs. RHE wherein the current is greater than 1 milliamp and a pH of 7.

Brownmillerite oxides for oxygen evolution catalyst

Methods for making porous materials having metal alloy nanoparticles formed therein are described herein. By preparing a porous material and delivering the precursor solutions under vacuum, the metal precursors can be uniformly embedded within the pores of the porous material. Once absorption is complete, the porous material can be heated in the presence of one or more functional gases to reduce the metal precursors to metal alloy nanoparticles, and embed the metal alloy nanoparticles inside of the pores. As such, the metal alloy nanoparticles can be formed within the pores, while avoiding surface wetting and absorption problems which can occur with small pores.

Methods for making oxygen reduction reaction catalysts formed of platinum alloy nanoparticles embedded in porous carbon

A process for manufacturing a thermoelectric material having a plurality of grains and grain boundaries. The process includes determining a material composition to be investigated for the thermoelectric material and then determining a range of values of grain size and/or grain boundary barrier height obtainable for the material composition using current state of the art manufacturing techniques. Thereafter, a range of figure of merit values for the material composition is determined as a function of the range of values of grain size and/or grain boundary barrier height. And finally, a thermoelectric material having the determined material composition and an average grain size and grain boundary barrier height corresponding to the maximum range of figure of merit values is manufactured.

Method of producing thermoelectric material

A thermoelectric material is provided. The material can be a grain boundary modified nanocomposite that has a plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains and a plurality of zinc oxide nanoparticles within the plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains. In addition, the material has zinc antimony modified grain boundaries between the plurality of bismuth antimony telluride matrix grains.

A multilayer thin film that reflects an omnidirectional high chroma red structural color. The multilayer thin film may include a reflector layer, at least one absorber layer extending across the reflector layer, and an outer dielectric layer extending across the at least one absorber layer. The multilayer thin film reflects a single narrow band of visible light when exposed to white light and the outer dielectric layer has a thickness of less than or equal to 2.0 quarter wave (QW) of a center wavelength of the single narrow band of visible light.

Omnidirectional high chroma red structural colors

A multilayer stack displaying a red omnidirectional structural color. The multilayer stack includes a reflector layer, a dielectric layer extending across the reflector layer, and an absorbing layer extending across the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer reflects more than 70% of incident white light that has a wavelength greater than 580 nanometers (nm). In addition, the absorbing layer absorbs more than 70% of the incident white light with a wavelength less than 580 nm. In combination, the reflector layer, dielectric layer, and absorbing layer form an omnidirectional reflector that reflects a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation with a center wavelength between 580-680 nm, has a width of less than 200 nm wide and a color shift of less than 100 nm when the reflector is viewed from angles between 0 and 45 degrees.

Red omnidirectional structural color made from metal and dielectric layers

Systems and methods for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide are disclosed. The systems involve an electrochemical cell having a cathode of anodized silver and the methods involve introducing carbon dioxide into such a system and applying a potential. The disclosed systems and methods have improved carbon monoxide production selectivity, support higher current density, and have improved efficiency in comparison to existing silver-based COelectroreduction devices.

System and method for selective electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide employing an anodized silver electrode

A process for densifying a composite material is provided. In some instances, the process can reduce stress in a sintered component such that improved densification and/or properties of the component is provided. The process includes providing a mixture of a first material particles and second material particles, pre-sintering the mixture at a first pressure and a first temperature in order to form a pre-sintered component, and then crushing, grinding, and sieving the pre-sintered component in order to form or obtain a generally uniform composite powder. The uniform composite powder is then sintered at a second pressure and a second temperature to form a sintered component, the second pressure being greater than the second pressure.

Sintering process for thermoelectric materials

A thermoelectric material that comprises a binary main group matrix material and nano-particles and/or nano-inclusions of metal oxide dispersed therein, and has electrical properties of ternary doped materials. A process for making the thermoelectric material that includes reacting a reduced metal precursor with an oxidized metal precursor in the presence of nanoparticles.

Binary thermoelectric material containing nanoparticles and process for producing the same

A thermoelectric material that comprises a ternary main group matrix material and nano-particles and/or nano-inclusions of a Group 2 or Group 12 metal oxide dispersed therein. A process for making the thermoelectric material that includes reacting a reduced metal precursor with an oxidized metal precursor in the presence of nanoparticles.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Li Qin Zhou