Methods of making a carbon nanotube material and uses thereof are described. The methods can include obtaining a carbon-containing polymeric matrix shell having a single discrete void space defined by the carbon-containing polymeric matrix shell or having an encapsulated core and subjecting the carbon-containing polymeric matrix shell to a graphitization process to form a shell having a carbon nanotube network from the matrix. The resulting carbon nanotube material includes a shell having a network of carbon nanotubes and either (i) a single discrete void space defined by the network of carbon nanotubes or (ii) the encapsulated core surrounded by the network of carbon nanotubes.

A method of producing a catalyst comprises generating an aerosolized flow of catalyst support particles, heating a catalytically active compound precursor to produce a catalytically active compound precursor vapor, contacting the aerosolized flow of catalyst support particles with the catalytically active compound precursor vapor, and condensing the catalytically active compound precursor onto the catalyst support particles to produce the catalyst comprising catalytically active compound deposited on surfaces of the catalyst support particles. The method may further comprise aerosolizing a catalyst support precursor mixture, drying the aerosolized catalyst support precursor mixture in a first heating zone to form an aerosolized flow of catalyst support particles, and contacting the catalyst support particles with a catalytically active compound precursor vapor in a second heating zone to form the catalyst comprising the layer of the catalytically active compound deposited on surfaces of the catalyst of catalyst support particles.

A method for producing one or more hydrocarbon compounds from at least one of 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, and ethanol, the method comprising contacting said at least one of 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, and ethanol with a catalyst at a temperature of at least 100 C. and up to 500 C. to result in said 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, and/or ethanol being converted to said one or more hydrocarbon compounds, wherein said catalyst is either: (i) a catalyst comprising nanoparticles composed of (a) a first metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, titanium oxide, and lanthanum oxide, and (b) a main group metal oxide; or (ii) a catalyst comprising a zeolite loaded with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium in an amount of 1-30 wt % by weight of the zeolite.

According to one or more embodiments, a mesoporous zeolite may included a microporous framework that includes a plurality of micropores having diameters of less than or equal to 2 nm, and a plurality of mesopores having diameters of greater than 2 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm. The mesoporous zeolite may included an aluminosilicate material, a titanosilicate material, or a pure silicate material. The mesoporous zeolite may included a surface area of greater than 350 m.sup.2/g and a pore volume of greater than 0.3 cm.sup.3/g.

A fluidized bed process for producing para-xylene via toluene and/or benzene methylation with methanol using a dual function catalyst system. A first catalyst accomplishes the toluene and/or benzene methylation and a second catalyst converts the by-products of the methylation reaction or unconverted methylating agent, improves the yields of the desired products, or a combination thereof. The inclusion of the second catalyst can suppress the C.sub.1-C.sub.5 non-aromatic fraction by over 50% and significantly enhance the formation of aromatics.

According to one or more embodiments, cationic polymers may be produced which include one or more monomers containing cations. Such cationic polymers may be utilized as structure directing agents to form mesoporous zeolites. The mesoporous zeolites may include micropores as well as mesopores, and may have a surface area of greater than 350 m.sup.2/g and a pore volume of greater than 0.3 cm.sup.3/g. Also described are core/shell zeolites, where at least the shell portion includes a mesoporous zeolite material.

The present invention provides a monatomic metal-doped few-layer molybdenum disulfide electrocatalytic material, a preparing method thereof, and a method for electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation. The material has a few-layer ultra-thin and irregular flake-like microstructure with a length and a width of nanometer scale. A doping metal in the monatomic metal-doped few-layer molybdenum disulfide electrocatalytic material is dispersed in a form of single atoms. When the catalyst is used in electrochemical reduction of N.sub.2, a Faradic efficiency in selective reduction of N.sub.2 into NH.sub.4.sup.+ is 18% or above, and stability of the catalyst is better.

A hydropyrolysis catalyst and a process using that catalyst are described. The catalyst comprises a support and an active metal component wherein the catalyst is an eggshell type catalyst having the active metal component located in the outer portion of the support.

Catalytic materials, and in particular, rhodium-containing catalytic materials for exhaust gas purifying catalyst composites are provided herein. Such materials comprise multimetallic Rh-containing nanoparticles, which are present primarily inside aggregated particles of a support (such as alumina). Such catalytic materials can exhibit excellent conversion of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides.

A NOx catalyst is provided that can realize a favorable NOx reduction in a broad temperature region and that can lighten the overhead involved in production. The NOx catalyst has active components exhibiting a selective reduction activity for NOx, wherein the active components exhibiting the selective reduction activity contains a high-temperature active component having a relatively high NOx reduction activity at high temperatures and a low-temperature active component having a relatively high NOx reduction activity at low temperatures; and the high-temperature active component and the low-temperature active component are disposed in a mixed state in a primary particle of the catalyst particle, and an active component ratio on a surface side of the primary particle is larger than an active component ratio on an interior side of the primary particle, with the active component ratio being is a ratio of a concentration of the high-temperature active component to a concentration of the low-temperature active component in the primary particle.