Marleen Kamperman, Andrew Burns,
Weißgraeber, Scott C. Warren, and Ulrich Wiesner
Materials Science and Engineering,
Cornell
University
Abstract:
We developed porous high temperature ceramics with hierarchical structures
covering the full range of length scales from the near-atomic to macroscopic level.
The materials are promising as catalyst supports for high-temperature fuel reforming.
The challenge was to achieve the following properties within the same material:
1) high surface area per unit volume to reduce the required reformer volume
for a given conversion; 2) compatibility with high temperatures, ideally 800°C
or higher, to avoid coking of the catalytic structure; and 3) an acceptable
pressure drop. The developed materials satisfy all three key requirements.
Structure formation is achieved, in order of decreasing length scales, by a
combination of micromolding, multi-component colloidal assembly and block
copolymer based structure directing of ceramic and catalyst precursors.
Temperature treatment up to 1000°C results in a three-dimensionally interconnected,
hierarchically ordered, high temperature ceramic material that is functionalized
with well-dispersed platinum nanoparticles.
2009 Run
March 25th - May 11th
