Sulfur-functionalized carbon nanoarchitectures as porous, high surface area supports for precious metal catalysts

• US 7,442,747 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Government Of The United States As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Rolison, Debra R, Long, Jeffrey W, Baker, Wendy
• Primary Examiner(s): Eashoo; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heincer; Liam J
• Application Number:
  US11/828,434
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 525/505, 526/904, 528/128
• US Class Current: 525/505
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/00 Carbon; Compounds thereof C01B21/00, C01B23/00 take precedence; percarbonates C01B15/10; carbon black C09C1/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/90 Selection of catalytic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/92 Metals of platinum group H01M4/94 , H01M4/9058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 521/919 Sintered product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 526/904 Monomer polymerized in presence of transition metal containing catalyst at least part of which is supported on a polymer, e.g. prepolymerized catalysts

Abstract

The invention relates to sulfur-functionalized polymer gels and carbon gels, including aerogels, and such carbon gels containing platinum or metal nanoparticles. The platinum-containing gels may be useful as fuel-cell electrodes.

Claims

1. A polymer gel comprising a sulfur group, wherein the polymer gel is made by a process comprising the steps of:

reacting a phenol with formaldehyde in a condensation reaction to form a precursor gel; and

reacting the precursor gel with a sulfur compound;

wherein the sulfur compound comprises a sulfur atom and an aldehyde group.

2. The polymer gel of claim 1, wherein the phenol is resorcinol.

3. The polymer gel of claim 1, wherein the phenol is selected from the group consisting of phenols have more than one hydroxyl group.

4. The polymer gel of claim 1, wherein the sulfur compound is 3-thiophenecarboxaldehyde.

5. The polymer gel of claim 1, wherein the sulfur group is elemental sulfur, sulfide, heterocyclic sulfur, or thiophene.

6. A method of making a composite, comprising the steps of:

reacting a phenol with formaldehyde in a condensation reaction to form a precursor gel; and

reacting the precursor gel with a sulfur compound to form a sulfur-modified gel;

wherein the sulfur compound comprises a sulfur atom and an aldehyde group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the phenol is resorcinol and the sulfur compound is 3-thiophenecarboxaldehyde.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sulfur-modified gel comprises elemental sulfur, sulfide, heterocyclic sulfur, or thiophene.