NOVEL NANOPOROUS MATERIALS

• US 20090131248A1
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of HULL
• Original Assignee: University of HULL
• Inventors: Kelly, Stephen Malcolm, Cheng, Fei, Bradley, John Stewart
• Application Number:
  US11/577,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20090131248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 502/200
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/02 Details relating to pores or porosity of the membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/0283 Pore size
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/10 Catalysts being present on the surface of the membrane or in the pores
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/22 Thermal or heat-resistance properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/46 Magnetic properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/885 Devices in general for catalytic purification of waste gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0048 by sol-gel transition
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0067 by carbonisation or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0093 Chemical modification
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/00931 by introduction of specific groups after membrane formation, e.g. by grafting
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/10 Supported membranes; Membrane supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/108 Inorganic support material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/145 containing embedded catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/0215 Silicon carbide; Silicon nitride; Silicon oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/022 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02231 Palladium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/02232 Nickel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/44 Palladium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 27/24 Nitrogen compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/10 : characterised by their surface properties or porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/1061 : 2-50 nm
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/60 : characterised by their surface properties or porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/647 : 2-50 nm
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/068 : with silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/12 : Surface area
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/16 : Pore diameter
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/17 : Pore diameter distribution
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2111/00793 : as filters or diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/10 : based on aluminium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/584 : based on silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/597 : based on silicon oxynitride, e.g. SIALONS
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0045 : by a process involving the formation of a sol or a gel, e.g. sol-gel or precipitation processes
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0054 : the pores being microsized or nanosized
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/009 : characterised by the material treated
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/4537 : by the sol-gel process
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/4582 : Porous coatings, e.g. coating containing porous fillers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/5066 : Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/87 : Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/40 : Semi-permeable membranes or partitions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249978 : Voids specified as micro

Abstract

The invention provides a nanoporous non-oxide material which comprises a modified derivative of silicon nitride and comprises a plurality of nanoscale pores. The nanoporous non-oxide material is preferably prepared by means of a sol-gel procedure and preferably comprises a metal-containing derivative of silicon nitride [SiN₄], silicon oxynitride [Si₂N₂O] or silicon imidonitride [Si₃N_4-2x(NH)_3x] which contains a Group III metal or a transition metal. The nanoporous non-oxide material also additionally comprises surface modifications. The invention also provides for the use of the nanoporous non-oxide material in the manufacture of selective gas filters for solid state gas sensors and catalysts for chemical reactions.

Claims

1. A nanoporous non-oxide material which comprises a modified derivative of silicon nitride.

2. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1 which comprises a mesoporous non-oxide material.

3. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1 which comprises a plurality of nanoscale pores which have an average pore diameter which falls in the range of from 1.5 to 50 nm.

4. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 3 wherein said average pore diameter falls in the range of from 1.5 to 10 nm.

5. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 3 wherein said average pore diameter falls in the renge of from 1.5 to 5 nm.

6. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1 which is prepared by means of a sol-gel procedure.

7. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1 which comprises a modified derivative of silicon nitride [SiN₄], silicon oxynitride [Si₂N₂O] or silicon imidonitride [Si₃N_4-2x(NH)_3x].

8. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 7 which comprises a metal-containing derivative of silicon nitride.

9. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 8 wherein said metal-containing derivative of silicon nitride comprises a derivative of silicon nitride which contains a Group m metal or a transition metal.

10. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 9 wherein said Group EU metal comprises aluminium or boron.

11. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 9 wherein said transition metal comprises nickel, palladium or platinum.

12. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1 which additionally comprises surface modifications.

13. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 12 wherein said surface modifications comprise substituents attached to the surface of the nanoporous non-oxide material.

14. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said substituents comprise aliphatic chains or groups comprising homogeneous catalysts.

15. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 14 wherein said aliphatic chains comprise straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups.

16. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 15 wherein said straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl groups are substituted with a heteroatom or other group.

17. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 16 wherein said substituent comprises O, S, or NH.

18. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 14 wherein said homogeneous catalysts comprise transition metals with organic ligands.

19. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 13 wherein said substituents are attached to the surface of said nanoporous non-oxide material by a spacer group.

20. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 19 wherein said spacer group comprises a straight-chain aliphatic group.

21. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 12 wherein said surface modifications comprise the incorporation in the surface of said nanoporous non-oxide material of additional nanoparticles which have a catalytic function or possess magnetic properties.

22. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 21 wherein said additional nanoparticles comprise ruthenium, nickel or cobalt nanoclusters.

23. A selective gas filter comprising a nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1.

24. A selective gas filter as claimed in claim 23 which is comprised in a gas sensor.

25. A catalytic material for chemical reactions, said catalytic material comprising a nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1.

26. A catalytic material as claimed in claim 25 wherein said chemical reactions comprise heterogeneous chemical reactions.

27. A catalytic material as claimed in claim 26 wherein said heterogeneous chemical reactions comprise oxidation, reduction or hydrogenation reactions, or the Fischer-Tropsch reaction.

28. A gas filter manufactured with the nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1.

29. A catalyst for chemical reaction manufactured with the use of the nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 1.

30. A method of manufacturing a nanoporous non-oxide material according to claim 1 by means of the sol-gel technique.

31. A nanoporous non-oxide material as claimed in claim 22 whenever prepared according to the sol-gel technique.