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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Innovative large overbraided carbon fiber composite beams in historical Friendship Bell Pavilion

The International Friendship Bell Pavilion located in the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee symbolizes the spirit of the peace and friendship shared by the city of Oak Ridge and city of Naka, Japan. The Bell Pavilion features an 8000-pound bronze cast bell along with futuristic materials and advanced manufacturing technologies. The team has developed innovative overbraided carbon fiber arched beams in conjunction with the bronze bell. Carbon fiber was utilized in these beams because of its lightweight, strong, stiff, and durable characteristics. A sandwich design used a high-performance foam core, overbraided with triaxial carbon fibers. This is the world’s largest overbraided composite structure for parks and recreation. For the first time in such an application, 17 free floating, 33-foot (10 m) long arched carbon fiber composite beams cantilever from a central concrete-steel superstructure over the bronze bell. The arc radius of the bottom of each beam is uniquely different giving an appearance of an open dome when standing underneath the structure.

Parks and Recreation↗
DOE OSTI2021

Controlled Pyrolysis: A Robust Scalable Composite Recycling Technology

The reinforced composites industry is facing significant challenges in handling the scrap composite material from automobile manufacturing, the wind turbine industry, and others. The fibers in the material, whether they be carbon, glass, or other materials have commercial value if they can be recovered successfully. Successfully means the fibers are clean with no sizing or other binders and have adequate strength and physical properties that would allow them to be economically reprocessed into valuable product. The composites recycling project was an industry-collaborative effort to develop a composite recycling technology using controlled pyrolysis. Through the recycling of scrap and end-of-life (EOL) cured composite materials, this pilot study was intended to create a business case by realizing a cost-effective means for recycling EOL and production scrap composite materials, ultimately reducing the volume of composite materials destined for landfill. The project was led by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) a Teijin Group Company, CHZ Technologies, and A. Schulman with support from Owens Corning, John Deere, General Electric (GE), Ashland LLC, and Plastics Europe (CEFIC). The team studied and tested CHZ Technologies’ controlled pyrolysis system, known as the Thermolyzer TM , which operates on a scalable basis to convert organic polymer materials into a clean synthesis gas and char containing the recoverable carbon and glass fiber reinforcement. The recoverable energy contained in the input polymers creates the synthesis gas that can be used to provide heat to the Thermolyzer TM primary reactor in a sustainable manner. That is, once the Thermolyzer TM is started with a small amount of external natural gas, the synthesis gas that is created from the polymers will continue to operate the burners so long as feedstock is supplied. The reinforcing fiber materials remaining in the solid phase char were separated and cleaned for re-use in other polymer systems based on the retained properties of the fibers. The study created reports (attached in the appendix) on the Mass and Energy Balances, syngas analytics, VOC assessment, yield analysis and other analytics necessary for a Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) to quantify the economic impact of the recovery and sustainable re-use of the carbon and glass fibers. The process consisted of 4 steps: Selection of 4 samples of cured composite waste materials from project partners interested in materials recycling and recovering the reinforcing fibers for best case re-use. The materials included glass fiber (GF) polyester/vinyl ester automotive SMC from CSP, GF epoxy balsa/PVC foam wind blades from GE, carbon fiber (CF) epoxy wind blade laminated spar caps from GE, and GF/CF epoxy hybrid assembly from John Deere. Processing the waste composite samples into 1-2” shreds. Packaging the shredded composites into bulk sacks on international shipping pallets for shipment to KUG in Forst (Lausitz), Germany. Pyrolysis of the shredded composites under controlled conditions designed for each polymer system. Collecting samples of the gas and char for analysis. Shipping the char containing the CF/GF back to the US for the next steps of testing the fibers and developing protocols for sustainable re-use of the fibers in composite applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nature-inspired lotus-shaped fins combined with hybrid nanoparticles and metal foam for high-performance latent heat thermal energy storage

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems play a critical role in renewable energy integration by providing high energy density and nearly isothermal operation during phase transitions. However, their performance is often limited by slow melting/charging rates, which motivates the search for enhanced heat transfer designs. This study investigates the melting behavior of RT-82 phase change material (PCM) using novel lotus-shaped fins combined with copper metal foam and conductive graphene nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. A two-dimensional enthalpy-porosity model in ANSYS Fluent was developed to simulate the charging/melting process, capturing non-thermal equilibrium between the foam and PCM/nano-PCM. In this study, effects of fin geometry, nanoparticle concentration, and foam porosity on melting dynamics and cost-performance trade-offs were investigated. Results showed that natural convection accelerated melting by ~12% compared to conduction-only scenarios. Optimized lotus-shaped fins with higher fin density (T3F4 and T3F10) achieved up to 63% faster melting relative to sparse configurations. Graphene nanoparticles improved thermal conductivity, with a 6% volume fraction, by reducing melting time by ~6.9%, while their combination with 75% porosity foam achieved a maximum reduction in the melting time of ~51% compared to pure PCM. Cost-performance analysis identified T3F4 as the most balanced design, offering rapid thermal response without excessive material costs, while moderate-density designs like T3S6 provided economical alternatives with acceptable performance. These results highlight the performance enhancement that can be achieved by integrating bio-inspired fins, nanoparticles, and foams, into compact and efficient LHTES for solar heating, building thermal management, and industrial waste-heat recovery applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimizing 3d spin polarization of CoOOH by in situ Mo doping for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Transition-metal oxyhydroxides are attractive catalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). Further studies for developing transition-metal oxyhydroxide catalysts and understanding their catalytic mechanisms will benefit their quick transition to the next catalysts. Herein, Mo-doped CoOOH was designed as a high-performance model electrocatalyst with durability for 20 h at 10 mA cm -2 . Additionally, it had an overpotential of 260 mV (glassy carbon) or 215 mV (nickel foam), which was 78 mV lower than that of IrO 2 (338 mV). In situ, Raman spectroscopy revealed the transformation process of CoOOH. Calculations using the density functional theory showed that during OER, doped Mo increased the spin-up density of states and shrank the spin-down bandgap of the 3d orbits in the reconstructed CoOOH under the electrochemical activation process, which simultaneously optimized the adsorption and electron conduction of oxygen-related intermediates on Co sites and lowered the OER overpotentials. Our research provides new insights into the methodical planning of the creation of transition-metal oxyhydroxide OER catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparing Synthetic Routes and Thermal Characteristics of Alternate APO Variants

Low density, high-strength, temperature-resistant foams see widespread application in the aerospace and weapons fields due to their excellent qualities as structural supports. In these demanding environments, the most common formulation is a three-phase syntactic foam containing APOCure-601, BMI, and carbon or glass microballoons. Of these, APOCure-601 and BMI form the polymer resin amino-poly(oxadiazole) bismaleimide (APO-BMI), also known as Legacy APO or S-1,2-Ethyl-APO. In manufacturing this foam, the selective laser sintering (SLS) additive manufacturing technique is quickly gaining prominence, over more traditional injection molding since SLS allows for 3D printing of materials and reduces overall cost and waste production. That said, SLS also requires a narrow window between the melt and cure temperatures for a successful print. SLS printing of APO-BMI is therefore difficult since the compound possesses a broad window between its melting and curing temperatures, and also requires several post-cure steps or complete polymerization. This work explores synthesis optimization and thermal characteristics for variant Apo-BMI structures by observing the effect that alternative heteroatoms in the APO linkages, geometries 0f the BMI groups, and bridge structure identities impart on the resultant material. Synthetic methods for these altered structures were established in batch, with some others further converted to continuous flow chemistry, a method that produces materials in a continuous stream and is highly reproducible and readily scaled. Additionally, each structural change significantly altered the melt and cure properties for each APO variant, which is advantageous for SLS manufacturing.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Operando visualization of porous metal additive manufacturing with foaming agents through high-speed x-ray imaging

Porous metals find extensive applications in soundproofing, filtration, catalysis, and energy-absorbing structures, thanks to their unique internal pore structure and high specific strength. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in fabricating porous metals using additive manufacturing (AM), leveraging its unique advantages, including improved design freedom, spatial material control, and cost-effective small-batch production. In this study, we conducted pioneering operando visualization of AM porous metal using a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) setup combined with a high-speed synchrotron x-ray imaging system. Single track printing experiments using Ti6Al4V (Ti64) combined with titanium hydride (TiH 2 ) and sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) as foaming agents, with varying mixing ratios were performed under different processing conditions. Here. the results elucidate the dynamic development of porosity formation. The average pore size is significantly influenced by the particle size of foaming agents when pore coalescence is absent. For all foaming agent content tested in the current study, the number of pores is found to be more sensitive to changes in laser power than in laser scanning speed. Increasing linear energy density (increasing laser power or reducing laser scanning speed) promotes the foaming agent activation thereby porosity formation. However, high linear energy density skews pore distribution towards the surface despite forming deeper melt pools. In addition, the impact of additional factors including foaming agent's laser absorptivity and decomposition kinetics with respect to AM time scales should be carefully considered to avoid ineffective activation of foaming agents during the AM of porous metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Enabling Highly Stable Li–O 2 Batteries with Full Discharge–Charge Capability: The Porous Binder- and Carbon-Free IrNi Nanosheet Cathode

Rechargeable aprotic Li-O 2 batteries have drawn much attention in light of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen cathode reactions lead to huge energy loss, while the unfavorable side reactions associated with the widely used carbon and binder account for fast battery decay during cycles. In this work, hierarchically holey IrNi alloy nanosheets are facilely designed on Ni foam substrate as a freestanding, binder- and carbon-free cathode to address these challenges. The IrNi nanosheets consist of numerous interconnected nanoparticles, forming abundant nanoholes, benefiting active-site exposure. Moreover, the meso-/macropores pave channels for the transfer of oxygen and lithium ions and provide enough accommodation for the insoluble Li 2 O 2 product. The corresponding Li-O 2 batteries demonstrate low polarization and excellent cycle stability with full discharge/charge capability (up to 292 cycles at a current density of 0.2 mA cm -2 within a voltage range from 2.3 to 4.3 V). The long-term cycling performance is principally attributed to the exclusive catalytic stability of the holey IrNi nanosheets and its good compatibility with dimethyl sulfoxide-based electrolyte. Our research provides novel insights into the design of robust and freestanding porous cathodes for high energy density Li-O 2 batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non-isocyanate polyurethane products and methods of making the same

The present disclosure relates to a method for making a non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) foam, where the method includes decomposing a blowing agent having at least one of an amine carbamate salt and/or an amine bicarbonate salt to form a diamine and CO 2 in the presence of a molecule comprising a plurality of cyclic carbonate functional groups and reacting the diamine with at least a portion of the cyclic carbonate functional groups to form the NIPU foam. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the reacting and the decomposing may occur at substantially the same rate.

Dong, Tao↗
DOE OSTI2019

Hydrogen Uptake Kinetics of 1,4-Bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (DEB) Rubberized Coating on Silicone Foam Substrate

The hydrogen uptake kinetics of 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene, or DEB, mixed with palladium (Pd) on activated carbon in a rubber matrix coating on top of a porous silicone foam substrate are investigated. First, isothermal isobaric hydrogenation experiments were performed under different temperatures and H 2 pressures to extract the uptake kinetics. The H 2 uptake models based on the measured kinetic parameters were then employed to investigate/simulate the performance of the getter under dynamic application environments. The actual hydrogenation characteristics in this type of getter is multifaceted and involve actual H 2 concentration in the getter matrix, micrometer scale diffusion of atomic hydrogen away from Pd sites, precipitation of hydrogenated DEB crystals at the coating surfaces, and mobility of fresh DEB molecules. The kinetic analysis/modeling methodology described in this report can serve as a template for other gas-solid reactions as well. Aside from possessing a good hydrogen capacity and excellent performance, this type of rubberized getter also offers some unique advantages over traditional solid getter: flexible structure and protection of Pd catalyst from exposure to the environment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Functional Photoresists for Energy Applications. Final Report

Monolithic ultralow-density porous bulk materials have recently attracted much interest due to many emerging applications in the areas of catalysis, energy storage and conversion, and thermal insulation. They are also important components of high energy density (HED) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. However, despite tremendous progress that has been made in the synthesis of porous materials, deterministic and independent control over microscopic architecture, density and composition remain key issues, and their integration in high precision devices requires cost and time-intensive mechanical machining that not only reduces reproducibility by generating debris but also limits the complexity of the 3D shapes that can be realized. In this project, we overcame these limitations by developing a universal templating capability that provides deterministic and independent control over density, composition, architecture, and macroscopic sample shape. This was achieved by developing the technology to 1) 3D print ultrahigh resolution, ultra-high precision polymeric micro-lattice templates, 2) coat these templates with the desired materials, and 3) removing the template (Fig. 1a). Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides the atomic scale coating thickness accuracy required for precisely controlling density. While this templating approach had been demonstrated in prior work, limitations in suitable photoresists, 3D print technologies, print design, and template removal techniques did not allow the fabrication of millimeter-sized high-precision parts with sub-micron resolution. To enable this technology, we developed 1) two-photon polymerization (TPP) print designs that enable the fabrication of millimeter-sized, mechanically robust polymeric templates with sub-micron resolution and 2) a continuum level TPP printing simulation capability for additional print design guidance; 3) atomistic models to study photoresist polymerization kinetics and network topography, 4) refractive index matched polymeric and preceramic TPP photoresists, and 5) functional TPP photoresists including porous voxel structures and self-immolative polymer photoresist chemistries; and 6) damage free template removal techniques that enable the fabrication of defect-free high-precision low-density foam components. We also developed a templating approach for pure carbon microlattices with a unique tube-in-tube ligament morphology. As a test platform, we pursued the fabrication of foam liners that promise to further increase the neutron yield in indirect drive ICF experiments by improving implosion symmetry control and coupling between the laser and the deuterium-tritium fuel. This application requires fabrication and integration of a ultra-high precision, millimeter-sized, thin-walled (200-400 micrometer thick), low-density (10-30 mg/cc), high atomic number (high Z) cylindrical foam tube into the gold hohlraum of an indirect drive ICF target (Fig. 1b). While our hohlraum liner test case will mainly find application in HED and ICF experiments, the underlying science will also directly apply to previously developed nanoparticle and additive manufacturing technologies and will advance those techniques as well.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cation-Diffusive Carbon Interlayers Stabilize Na Metal and Double the Current in Na-S Redox-Flow Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

The sodium-sulfur nonaqueous redox-flow batteries (Na-S NARFBs) using earth-abundant elements are highly attractive due to the low material cost and improved energy density for grid-scale energy storage. However, the low current performance, poor Na0/Na+ redox kinetics, and Na dendrite growth pose severe challenges. We introduce cation-diffusive layers (CDLs): thin and Na+ affinitive interlayers at the Na anode that direct Na+ transport and stabilize Na deposition. Benchmarking three archetypal materials—carbon paper (CP), glass microfiber paper (GF), and foam—across Na-Na and Na-Cu, and Na-S cells identifies CP as the optimum. CP reduces symmetric cell overpotential by more than 70%, achieves 98% Na plating-stripping efficiency, and doubles the Na-S cell current density from 0.5 to 1.0 mA cm−2 without sacrificing capacity or efficiency. Ex situ electrochemical and SEM/XPS analysis, combined with molecular dynamics (MD) studies, reveal that electron-rich carbon fibers disperse supporting salt aggregates, enrich near-surface Na+ density, and create ion transport pathways for fast Na0/Na+ exchange while mitigating membrane degradation. Because of the ion-centric mechanism, CDLs can be generalized to other metal-anode designs. Further, this work establishes CDL design rules—cationic affinity and appropriate micro/nanostructure—as a simple, scalable route to high-current, durable metal-anode flow batteries.

Wu, Wenda [ORNL] (ORCID:000900033307687X)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pyrolysis in Molten Salts Converts Plastics into a Mesoporous Electrocatalyst with a High Density of Atomic Fe–N–C Active Site

Upcycling plastic waste into value-added products is a promising strategy for both economic and environmental sustainability. However, achieving control over structure–property correlations during the upcycling process remains challenging. Here, in this study, we investigate the modulation of active site formation during pyrolytic conversion of plastics to carbon by composition-controlled molten salts. Using melamine formaldehyde (MF) foams as a precursor, we demonstrate that their pyrolysis in eutectic chloride molten salts with Fe 2+ , Na + , and K + ions directs the carbonization process toward the formation of mesoporous functional carbon enriched with atomically dispersed Fe–N–C sites, which are well-known for their catalytic activity in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Compared to pyrolysis in the FeCl 2 -only salt, the incorporation of alkali metal ions (Na + , K + ) in the eutectic mixture facilitates nitrogen retention in the carbon matrix and modulates iron speciation. This synergistic environment promotes a higher density and more uniform dispersion of Fe–N–C moieties within the carbon matrix. Consequently, the resulting catalyst exhibits a high surface area, hierarchical porosity, and improved electrochemical properties. When tested as an ORR catalyst, the Fe–N–C-enriched catalyst delivers a high half-wave potential (E 1/2 = 0.875 V vs RHE) with nearly exclusive 4e – pathway. These properties are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C catalysts, along with improved stability.

Fe−N−C active sites↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stability study of aqueous foams under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions relevant to Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

In Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) hydraulic fracturing is carried out by injecting cold water into deep Hot Dry Rocks (HDR) under carefully controlled conditions to create new or reopen existing fractures. Water-based fracturing fluids demonstrate some challenges including immense quantity of water usage, water sensitivity of the formations, water blocking, and lack of proppant carrying capacity and transportation. Thus, an alternative is to use foam-based fracturing fluid which offers potential advantage over conventional water-based fracturing fluid such as minimum water usage, reduced wellbore damage, high proppant carrying capacity, and less environmental damage. However, foams are complex mixture of gaseous phase and liquid phase which are thermodynamically unstable at downhole conditions, and their stability can decrease over time due to liquid drainage, bubble coarsening, and coalescence. This paper shows laboratory experiments executed to study foam stability at high temperature (200°C) and high pressure (6.9MPa) conditions which simulates the geothermal environment. Foam stability was characterized by half-life of foam, which is defined as the time taken by the foam to decreases by 50% of its original height due to drainage. In this paper, two types of gaseous phases, nitrogen (N 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were investigated. Also, based on successful practice of foam-based fracturing fluid in oil and gas industries, four surfactants, including Alpha olefin sulfonate (AOS), Sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), Tergitol™ (NP – 40), and Cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) at optimum concentration of 1wt.% were tested for best stability performance. In addition, different stabilizing agents including guar gum, bentonite clay, crosslinker, silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO 2 ), graphene oxide (GO) were also studied. Experimental results showed that N 2 foams were more stable than CO 2 foams. It was observed that foam half-life decreased with the increase in temperature. Among all the surfactants, AOS foams showed the most promising thermal stability at high temperatures. Moreover, with the addition of stabilizing agents, foam's half-life was enhanced. Stabilizing agents such as crosslinker and GO dispersion showed the most stable foams with half-life recorded at 20min and 17min, respectively, at 200°C and 6.9MPa. Finally, pressure also showed a positive effect on foam stability; with increased pressure, foam half-life was increased. Based on the experimental data, analytical models for the effect of temperature and pressure were developed, considering foam degradation is a first-order kinetic reaction that linearly depends on the foam drainage mechanism. The effect of temperature on foam half-life was studied as an exponential decay model. In this model, foam half-life is a function of drainage rate constant (D A ) and activation energy (E a ) of the foam system. The effect of pressure on foam half-life was found to obey a power-law model where an increase in pressure showed an increase in foam half-life. Furthermore, a linear relation was studied for the effect of pressure on foam activation energy and drainage rate. Then the combined effects of temperature and pressure were studied, which yielded an analytical model to predict the foam stabilities in terms of half-life for different foam compositions. In conclusion, this research indicates that with an appropriate selection of surfactants and stabilizing agents, it is possible to obtain stable foams, which could replace conventional water fracturing fluid under EGS conditions.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Recent development and manufacturing of coal-derived building materials

Coal has been challenged because coal combustion generates large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to global warming. Pyrolysis char (PC), a valuable byproduct of coal that does not liberate CO2 when produced in an inert environment, can be used as a high carbon content fuel in combustion and gasification. However, using PC as a fuel is not an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to make energy. Contrastingly using PC to make engineered products does offer an eco-friendly, attractive and value-added use. This paper introduces a novel integrated coal pyrolysis and solvent extraction process invented by the University of Wyoming (UW) to convert as-mined coal from the Powder River Basin Coal Field, Wyoming, to functional carbon products, which together liberates very little CO2. PC and coal deposit, extract and residual (CDER) are two functional carbon products that can be used in the development and manufacture of high value coal-derived building materials. The novel development of three building products known as coal-derived char bricks (CCB), carbon structural unit (CSU), and char-based insulation foam (CIF) are introduced. The approaches to manufacture them are investigated, including consideration of the eco-friendly approaches, optimization of engineering performance, and cost effectiveness relative to traditional products. CCBs show advantages in terms of their light weight (< 1 g/cm3) and good compressive strength (> 14 MPa). CSUs possess high compressive strength (> 30 MPa) and low thermal conductivity (< 0.3 W/mK), while CIFs can achieve a low thermal conductivity of 0.06 W/mK. Two demonstration houses have been built on UW campus, one using CCBs and another using commercial clay bricks. The performances of these houses are being monitored for temperature control, humidity uptake, noise reduction, inside air volatile organic content, indoor air quality and weatherability. The performance of the CCBs in terms of these criteria is discussed.

Ng, Kam↗
DOE OSTI2023

Molten salt electrochemical upcycling of CO 2 to graphite for high performance battery anodes

The efficient transformation of CO 2 into a value-added material is a potential strategy to help mitigate climate effects caused by CO 2 emissions. One potential CO 2 conversion product is graphite which is an important and versatile material extensively used in many applications including as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Commercial graphite, however, is traditionally synthesized via the energy intensive Acheson process (>3000 °C) and the performance of such graphite can be limited under fast charging conditions which is important for vehicle electrification. We report the electrochemical transformation of CO 2 to highly crystalline nano-graphite with a controlled microstructure in a carbonate molten salt at 780 °C. The use of a nickel foam electrode and controlled electrochemical parameters during the molten salt conversion process yielded pure graphite at a lower temperature compared to the Acheson process. Moreover, when investigated as an anode material for LIBs, the CO 2 -converted graphite exhibited high reversible capacity, long cycle life, and excellent rate capability even under fast charging conditions. This process provides a way to potentially reduce carbon emissions through the utilization of waste CO 2 by converting it into value-added graphite suitable for fast charging, high-energy-density batteries for vehicle electrification.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nickel foam supported porous copper oxide catalysts with noble metal-like activity for aqueous phase reactions

Contiguous metal foams offer a multitude of advantages over conventional powders as supports for nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts; most critically a preformed 3-D porous framework ensuring full directional coverage of supported catalyst, and intrinsic ease of handling and recyclability. Nonetheless, metal foams remain comparatively underused in thermal catalysis compared to more conventional supports such as amorphous carbon, metal oxides, zeolites and more recently MOFs. Herein, we demonstrate a facile preparation of highly-reactive, robust, and easy to handle Ni foam-supported Cu-based metal catalysts. The highly sustainable synthesis requires no specialized equipment, no surfactants or additive redox reagents, uses water as solvent, and CuCl 2 (H 2 O) 2 as precursor. The resulting material seeds as well-separated micro-crystalline Cu 2 (OH) 3 Cl evenly covering the Ni foam. Calcination above 400 °C transforms the Cu 2 (OH) 3 Cl to highly porous CuO. All materials display promising activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and methyl orange. Notably, our leading CuO-based material displays 4-nitrophenol reduction activity comparable with very reactive precious-metal based systems. Furthermore, recyclability studies highlight the intrinsic ease of handling for the Ni foam support, and our results point to a very robust, highly recyclable catalyst system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗