Nanoporous metal-carbon composite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399053-B2
Application number	US-201715593189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

Described here is a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) a porous three-dimensional scaffold comprising one or more of carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, and (b) metal nanoparticles disposed on said porous scaffold, wherein the metal-carbon composite has a density of 1 g/cm3 or less, and wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 1 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite. Also described are methods for making the metal-carbon composite.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for making a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) providing an aqueous mixture comprising (i) at least one of carbon nanotube and graphene oxide and (ii) at least one metal salt or metal nanowire; (b) freezing the mixture to obtain a cryo-composite; (c) drying the cryo-composite to obtain a dry composite; and (d) reducing the dry composite to obtain a metal-carbon composite comprising metal nanoparticles consisting essentially of elemental metal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal salt or metal nanowire comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, and Ru.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal salt or metal nanowire comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal salt or metal nanowire is a copper or silver salt or a copper or silver nanowire.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises pyrolyzing the dry composite in a reducing environment, wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 5 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite, and wherein carbon and metal account for 90 at. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

6. A method for making an aerogel, comprising (a) providing an aqueous mixture comprising (i) graphene oxide, (ii) at least one metal salt, and (iii) at least one catalyst; (b) curing the reaction mixture to produce a wet gel; (c) washing and drying the wet gel to obtain a metal-graphene oxide aerogel comprising a graphene oxide scaffold and metal nanoparticles consisting essentially of elemental metal.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the metal salt comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, and Ru.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the metal salt comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the metal salt is a gold salt.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising (d) reducing the metal-graphene oxide aerogel to produce a metal-graphene aerogel comprising a graphene scaffold, wherein carbon and metal account for 90 at. % or more of the metal-graphene aerogel.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising (e) removing the graphene oxide scaffold to obtain a metal aerogel, wherein metal accounts for 90 at. % or more of the metal aerogel.

12. A method for making a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) providing an aqueous mixture comprising (i) at least one carbon nanotube, (ii) at least one metal nanoparticle, and (iii) at least one surfactant; (b) curing the reaction mixture to produce a wet gel; (c) washing and drying the wet gel to obtain a carbon nanotube-metal nanoparticle composite comprising metal nanoparticles consisting essentially of elemental metal.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising (d) reducing the carbon nanotube-metal nanoparticle composite to produce a metal-carbon composite, wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 5 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite, and wherein carbon and metal account for 90 at. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the metal nanoparticle comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, and Ru.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the metal nanoparticle comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the metal nanoparticle is a copper nanoparticle.

17. A method for making a metal-carbon composite, comprising (a) providing a carbon aerogel; (b) immersing said carbon aerogel in an aqueous metal salt solution; (c) freeze drying the carbon aerogel in a vacuum to obtain a metal salt-impregnated carbon aerogel; and (d) reducing the metal salt-impregnated carbon aerogel to obtain a metal-carbon composite comprising metal nanoparticles consisting essentially of elemental metal.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the metal salt comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, and Ru.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the metal salt comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the metal salt is a platinum salt or a copper salt.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Worsley Marcus A
• Satcher Jr Joe H
• Kucheyev Sergei
• Charnvanichborikarn Supakit
• Colvin Jeffrey D
• Felter Thomas E
• Kim Sangil
• Merrill Matthew
• Orme Christine A

Classifications

• C01B32/194

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C01B32/168

  After-treatment · CPC title

• B01J13/0091 Primary

  Preparation of aerogels, e.g. xerogels · CPC title

• C01P2006/10

  Solid density · CPC title

• C01B32/23

  Oxidation · CPC title