The nanocomposites that include CuO/Cu.sub.2O are described. The nanocomposites can utilized as a photocatalyst and can be incorporated into photoelectrochemical devices. The described devices, systems, and methods can be used for converting CO.sub.2 into one or more alcohols with the use of solar energy and electricity.

The present invention relates to a catalytic wall-flow monolith for use in an emission treatment system, the monolith comprising a porous substrate and having a first face and a second face defining a longitudinal direction therebetween and first and second pluralities of channels extending in the longitudinal direction, the first plurality of channels provides a first plurality of inner surfaces and is open at the first face and closed at the second face, and the second plurality of channels is open at the second face and closed at the first face, a first catalytic material is distributed within the porous substrate, a microporous membrane is provided in the first plurality of channels on a first portion, extending in the longitudinal direction, of the first plurality of inner surfaces, and the first portion extends from the first face for 75 to 95% of a length of the first plurality of channels.

Zeolite membrane sheets for separation of mixtures containing water are provided, as well as methods for making the same. Thin, but robust, zeolite membrane sheets having an inter-grown zeolite crystal film directly on a thin, less than 200 micron thick, porous support sheet free of any surface pores with a size above 10 microns. The zeolite membrane film thickness is less than about 10 microns above the support surface and less than about 5 microns below the support surface. Methods of preparing the membrane are disclosed which include coating of the support sheet surface with a seed coating solution containing the parent zeolite crystals with mean particle sizes from about 0.5 to 2.0 microns at loading of 0.05-0.5 mg/cm2 and subsequent growth of the seeded sheet in a growth reactor loaded with a growth solution over a temperature range of about 45? C. to about 120? C.

A preparation method for a hollow fiber inorganic membrane to solve the problem that the existing membrane technology cannot simultaneously have high flux and a high retention rate, including the steps of: adding an inorganic material, a polymer, and a binder into an organic solvent, first performing ball milling, and then vacuumizing to obtain a casting solution; using tap water as an internal coagulant, spinning the casting solution, then using tap water and/or the organic solvent as an external coagulant, putting membrane filaments in the external coagulant, performing phase inversion under 19.5-20.5? C., taking out the membrane filaments, and then drying same to obtain a basement membrane green body; and calcining the basement membrane green body at 800-950? C. to obtain a hollow basement membrane, and preparing a separation layer on the outer surface of the hollow basement membrane to obtain the hollow fiber inorganic membrane.

An inorganic structure body has a free-standing structure including a fibrous member and/or a shell. The fibrous member and/or the shell include a metal and/or an inorganic material and have a three-dimensionally continuous configuration. The free-standing structure may have a structure that is based on a nonwoven fabric or a porous membrane used as a substrate.

The invention relates to a catalytic activation layer for use in oxygen-permeable membranes, which can comprise at least one porous structure formed by interconnected ceramic oxide particles that conduct oxygen ions and electronic carriers, where the surface of said particles that is exposed to the pores is covered with nanoparticles made from a catalyst, the composition of which corresponds to the following formula: A.sub.1-x-yB.sub.xC.sub.yO.sub.R where: A can be selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, lanthanide metals and combinations thereof; B and C are metals selected from Al, Ga, Y, Se, B, Nb, Ta, V, Mo, W, Re, Mn, Sn, Pr, Sm, Tb, Yb, Lu and combinations of same; and A must always be different from B. 0.01<x<0.5; 0<y<0.3.

The present invention relates to a method to synthesize ammonia at moderate conditions. The present invention also relates to a new chemical reactor configuration to achieve ammonia synthesis at moderate pressures and temperatures, and methods to make membranes for use in ammonia synthesis.

The present invention is a structure, method of making and method of use for a novel macroscopic hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped, nano-porous carbon membrane (HNDCMs) with asymmetric and hierarchical pore architecture that can be produced on a large-scale approach. The unique HNDCM holds great promise as components in separation and advanced carbon devices because they could offer unconventional fluidic transport phenomena on the nanoscale. Overall, the invention set forth herein covers a hierarchically structured, nitrogen-doped carbon membranes and methods of making and using such a membranes.

Disclosed are a separation membrane including a Group 5-based alloy, wherein crystal particles in the alloy have an average minor axis length of about 3 ?m to about 10 ?m and an aspect ratio of about 1:8 to 1:20, wherein the alloy is represented by the following Chemical Formula 1, and a method of manufacturing the same.
A.sub.xB.sub.yC.sub.z(Chemical Formula 1) In Chemical Formula 1, A is vanadium, niobium, or tantalum, B and C are same or different and are independently selected from nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), and platinum (Pt), x is a real number of greater than or equal to about 0.8 and less than 1, y+z=1?x, and y and z are independently real numbers of greater than or equal to about 0.

A platinum-carbon electrocatalyst material comprising a carbon support having a minimum BET surface area of 1000 m.sup.2/g, a nitrogen content of at least 2.5 weight percent, which is present in the form of pyridine, pyridone or pyrrole, a phosphorous content of at least 3 weight percent, which is present in the form of phosphate and phosphonate, and a plurality of platinum nanoparticles dispersed on the carbon support having a maximum average particle diameter of 1.5 nm.