Mesoporous electrically conductive metal oxide catalyst supports

• Main Authors: CAI MEI, DO THANH BA, RUTHKOSKY MARTIN S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.11.2014
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSESC01D OR C01F; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OFSOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A catalyst support material comprising TiO2, and optionally being doped with a transition metal element, and a method for synthesizing the same have been developed. The catalyst support material exhibits an electrical conductivity comparable to widely-used carbon materials. This is because the TiO2 present is primarily arranged in its rutile crystalline phase. Furthermore, a mesoporous morphology provides the catalyst support material with appropriate porosity and surface area properties such that it may be utilized as part of a fuel cell electrode (anode and/or cathode). The TiO2-based catalyst support material may be formed using a template method in which precursor titanium and transition metal alkoxides are hydrolyzed onto the surface of a latex template, dried, and heat treated.