Carbide-derived carbons are provided that have high dynamic loading capacity for high vapor pressure gasses such as H.sub.2S, SO.sub.2, or NH.sub.3. The carbide-derived carbons can have a plurality of metal chloride or metallic nanoparticles entrapped therein. Carbide-derived carbons are provided by extracting a metal from a metal carbide by chlorination of the metal carbide to produce a porous carbon framework having residual metal chloride nanoparticles incorporated therein, and annealing the porous carbon framework with H.sub.2 to remove residual chloride by reducing the metal chloride nanoparticles to produce the metallic nanoparticles entrapped within the porous carbon framework. The metals can include Fe, Co, Mo, or a combination thereof. The carbide-derived carbons are provided with an ammonia dynamic loading capacity of 6.9 mmol g.sup.−1 to 10 mmol g.sup.−1 at a relative humidity of 0% RH to 75% RH.

A method consisting in depositing coating of a semiconductor such as TiO.sub.2 on the surface of a substrate of activated carbon in the form of grain or powder that acts by an advanced oxidation-reduction mechanism in environmental decontamination processes, by way of a heterogeneous electrocatalysis system applying an electrical potential having a magnitude equal to or greater than that of the bandgap energy of the semiconductor, which is 3.2 eV in the case of anatase TiO.sub.2, such that an electron rises from the valence band to the conduction band, leaving in its place holes, h+, with enough oxidative capacity to be able to oxidise H.sub.2O and form OH radicals.

Systems and methods of synthesizing nanoparticles on substrates using rapid, high temperature thermal shock. A method involves depositing micro-sized particles or salt precursors on a substrate, and applying a rapid, high temperature thermal pulse or shock to the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors and the substrate to cause the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors to become nanoparticles on the substrate. A system may include a rotatable member that receives a roll of a substrate sheet having micro-sized particles or salt precursors; a motor that rotates the rotatable member so as to unroll consecutive portions of the substrate sheet from the roll; and a thermal energy source that applies a short, high temperature thermal shock to consecutive portions of the substrate sheet that are unrolled from the roll by rotating the first rotatable member. Some systems and methods produce nanoparticles on existing substrate. The nanoparticles may be metallic, ceramic, inorganic, semiconductor, or compound nanoparticles. The substrate may be a carbon-based substrate, a conducting substrate, or a non-conducting substrate. The high temperature thermal shock process may be enabled by electrical Joule heating, microwave heating, thermal radiative heating, plasma heating, or laser heating.

A method for the manufacture of a catalyst comprising substrate particles having gold nanoparticles thereon, the method comprising providing a first solution comprising gold nanoparticles; providing a second solution comprising substrate particles having polyelectrolyte on the surface thereof; and combining the solutions to form substrate particles having gold nanoparticles thereon. A catalyst comprising substrate particles having gold nanoparticles thereon, wherein the gold nanoparticles comprise capping agent comprising polyelectrolyte. A catalyst as a component of a cigarette filter, an air conditioning unit, an exhaust, or a diesel exhaust.

Catalytic preparation of hydrogen and aldehyde(s) from alcohols, including bioalcohols, without production of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.

Method for producing a substrate with Au (gold) nanoclusters affixed to the surface thereof and substrate and catalyst obtained by means of said method. The method consists in preparing a solution containing, in disperse form, Au nanoclusters and, also in disperse form, a substrate with a surface functionalized with a polyelectrolyte that confers a net electric charge thereon, and in intensely agitating said solution to affix Au nanoclusters to the substrate surface. This results in a substrate that has a surface with Au nanoclusters affixed in disperse form, significantly without clusters. The invention also relates to a catalyst that comprises said substrate with Au nanoclusters affixed to the surface thereof. Said catalyst is particularly suitable for use in oxidation reactions.

A method of reducing a gaseous carbon oxide includes reacting a carbon oxide with a gaseous reducing agent in the presence of an intermetallic or carbide catalyst. The reaction proceeds under conditions adapted to produce solid carbon of various allotropes and morphologies, the selective formation of which can be controlled by means of controlling reaction gas composition and reaction conditions including temperature and pressure. A method for utilizing an intermetallic or carbide catalyst in a reactor includes placing the catalyst in a suitable reactor and flowing reaction gases comprising a carbon oxide with at least one gaseous reducing agent through the reactor where, in the presence of the catalyst, at least a portion of the carbon in the carbon oxide is converted to solid carbon and a tail gas mixture containing water vapor.

Described herein are processes for one-step delignification and hydrodeoxygenation of lignin fraction a biomass feedstock. The lignin feedstock is derived from by-products of paper production and biorefineries. Additionally described is a process for converting biomass-derived oxygenates to lower oxygen-content compounds and/or hydrocarbons in the liquid or vapor phase in a reactor system containing hydrogen and a catalyst comprised of a hydrogenation function and/or an oxophilic function and/or an acid function. Finally, also described herein is a process for converting biomass-derived oxygenates to lower oxygen-content compounds and/or hydrocarbons in the liquid or vapor phase in a reactor system containing hydrogen and a catalyst comprised of a hydrogenation function and/or an oxophilic function and/or an acid function.

A method includes the following steps: a first step: the material containing heteroatom and graphite powder are mixed for a preset time by grinding, and the molar ratio of heteroatom to carbon atom is 1%-10%, then the heteroatom precursors are obtained; a second contact step: the heteroatom precursor is filled into a graphite rod with holes and compacted, then the graphite rod is dried for a preset time to obtain a plasma anode and using a DC arc plasma device to prepare the graphite anode into heteroatom-doped CNHs; a third contact step: the heteroatom-doped CNHs are dispersed in a reducing solution, a platinum salt is added to stir evenly, the reduction reaction is carried out by heating and stirring, and after centrifugation, washing and drying, a catalyst with platinum loading is obtained.

There are provided an easily producible catalyst particle-holding structure used for production of carbon nanotubes, and a method for producing the same. The method for producing the catalyst particle-holding structure of the present invention used for production of carbon nanotubes includes a step of forming a catalyst particle forming layer containing Si, Al, and Fe, and a step of performing a heat treatment on the catalyst particle forming layer in an atmosphere containing oxygen, to form catalyst particles containing Fe. The catalyst particles are held by the catalyst particle forming layer so that the catalyst particles are partially embedded in the catalyst particle forming layer. The size and the number of the catalyst particles containing Fe are controlled by adjusting the amount of oxygen contained in the atmosphere for the heat treatment. Thus, the catalyst particle-holding structure is formed easily.