A dispersing-type nanocatalyst for catalytic hydrocracking of heavy oil, a method for preparing the same, and the use thereof in catalytic hydrocracking of heavy oil. The present invention is also directed to reducing the operational temperature of catalytic hydrocracking of heavy crude oil, and also increasing the yield of the process by utilizing a lower concentration of said nanocatalyst.

Catalytic materials for exhaust gas purifying catalyst composites comprise platinum group metal (PGM)-containing catalysts whose PGM component(s) are provided as nanoparticles and are affixed to a refractory metal oxide, which may be provided as a precursor. Upon calcination of the catalysts, the PGM is thermally affixed to and well-dispersed throughout the support. Excellent conversion of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides can advantageously be achieved using such catalysts.

A method of using a heat generating catalyst in a hydrocarbon cracking process. The method includes providing a catalyst bed reactor which includes a catalyst bed of the heat generating catalyst disposed in the catalyst bed reactor. The heat generating catalyst includes at least one mordenite framework-inverted (MFI) zeolite catalyst having a Si/Al molar ratio of 15 or greater, and at least one metal oxide dispersed within a microstructure of the MFI zeolite catalyst. The method additionally includes introducing a hydrocarbon feed to the catalyst bed reactor and cracking the hydrocarbon feed to produce a cracking product. Additionally, an associated method of making the heat generating catalyst for hydrocarbon cracking is provided.

Disclosed is a method of making and using a titania supported palladium catalyst for the single step synthesis of 2-ethylhexanal from a feed of n-butyraldehyde. This titania supported palladium catalyst demonstrates high n-butyraldehyde conversion but also produces 2-ethylhexanal in an appreciable yield with maintained activity between runs. This method provides a single step synthesis of 2-ethylhexanal from n-butyraldehyde with a catalyst that can be regenerated that provides cleaner downstream separations relative to the traditional caustic route.

Device, method, and system for nanoparticle capture, tracking, and/or detection. A functional paper-based platform is modified with capture ligands to create binding sites for nanoparticles. According to an embodiment, nanoparticle binding produces visual images of the particle content and distribution on the modified sensing surface, which provides capabilities for both NP sequestration and real-time detection. According to an embodiment the system may be utilized for environmental decontamination, fabrication of personal protective equipment, field monitoring, and epidemiological studies. The availability of inexpensive and easy-to-use quantitative methods can facilitate rapid assessment and measurement of NPs concentration and the level of exposure for large scale toxicological and epidemiological testing

To provide a catalyst, which is formed from a perovskite oxide, for thermochemical fuel production, and a method of producing fuel using thermochemical fuel production that is capable of allowing a fuel to be produced in a thermochemical manner. Provided is a catalyst for thermochemical fuel production, which is used for producing the fuel from thermal energy by using a two-step thermochemical cycle of a first temperature and a second temperature that is equal to or lower than the first temperature, wherein the catalyst is formed from a perovskite oxide having a compositional formula of AXO.sub.3?? (provided that, 0???1). Here, A represents one or more of a rare-earth element (excluding Ce), an alkaline earth metal element, and an alkali metal element, X represents one or more of a transition metal element and a metalloid element, and O represents oxygen.

A process for the production of a carbon supported catalyst, which comprises the following steps: (a) precipitation of at least one metal oxide onto a surface of a carbon-comprising support by preparing an initial mixture, comprising the carbon-comprising support, at least one metal oxide precursor and an organic solvent, and spray-drying of the initial mixture to obtain an intermediate product, (b) loading of noble-metal-comprising particles onto the surface of the intermediate product in a liquid medium by deposition, precipitation and/or reduction of a noble-metal-comprising precursor with a reducing agent, (c) heat treatment of the catalyst precursor resulting from step (b) at a temperature higher than 400 C.

A method for promoting the supported catalysts using noble metal nanoparticles. Different noble metal precursors are preferentially deposited onto the supported metal catalysts through Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and compositions so produced. Further, the promoted catalyst is used for CO and CO.sub.2 hydrogenation reactions, increasing the reaction conversion, C.sub.5+ compounds selectivity and chain growth probability. The active phase of catalyst can be either cobalt oxide, nickel oxide or their reduced format (Co.sup.0 or Ni.sup.0), and the noble metal is preferably Ruthenium.

The present process provides a method for synthesizing difficult to make oxide-free nanometals and such as Zn, Sn and Ti and alloys of the period 4 and 5 transition metal elements in a free and reduced state using a solution phase synthesis process. Also provided is a method for stabilizing their associated colloidal metal and alloy dispersions under kinetic control at modest temperatures (<80 degrees Celsius). A solution of an organic reducing agent containing at least two proximal nitrogen atoms is reacted with a separate solution containing one or more metal-organic salts dissolved in the same or different low molecular weight solvent as the reducing agent. The reaction products are stabilized with Lewis bases and Lewis acids and optionally can be concentrated by removing a portion of the volatile low molecular weight solvent by either the use of a partial vacuum or by chemical extraction into another phase.

The present process provides a method for synthesizing oxide-free copper nanometal dispersion in a free and reduced state using a solution phase synthesis process. A solution of an organic reducing agent containing at least two proximal nitrogen atoms is reacted with a separate solution containing a copper salt reformulated into a charge transfer complex. The reaction products are stabilized with Lewis bases and Lewis acids and optionally can be concentrated by removing a portion of the volatile low molecular weight solvent by either the use of a partial vacuum or by chemical extraction into another phase.