Nanoporous metal-carbon composite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016101398-A1
Application number	US-201414485474-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 12, 2014
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

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/cm 3 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 metal-carbon composite, comprising (i) a porous 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/cm 3 or less, and wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 1 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

2 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, Si, Ta, rare earth metals, and other transition metals.

3 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt.

4 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the porous scaffold comprising a three-dimensional network of graphene sheets crosslinked by covalent bonds.

5 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the porous scaffold comprising a three-dimensional network of graphene oxide sheets crosslinked by covalent bonds.

6 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the porous scaffold comprising a three-dimensional network of carbon nanotubes crosslinked by carbon nanoparticles.

7 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the metal-carbon composite has a density of 100 mg/cm 3 or less, and wherein the metal nanoparticles account for 5 wt. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

8 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein carbon and metal account for 90 at. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

9 . A method for making the metal-carbon composite of claim 1 , 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 the metal-carbon composite.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the metal salt or metal nanowire is a copper or silver salt or nanowire.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein step (d) comprises pyrolyzing the dry gel in a reducing environment.

12 . A method for making the metal-carbon composite of claim 1 , 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.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the metal salt is a gold salt.

14 . The method of claim 12 , 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.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising (e) removing the graphene oxide scaffold to obtain a metal aerogel.

16 . A method for making the metal-carbon composite of claim 1 , 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.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising (d) reducing the carbon nanotube-metal nanoparticle composite to produce a metal-carbon composite, wherein carbon and metal account for 90 at. % or more of the metal-carbon composite.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are copper nanoparticles.

19 . A method for making the metal-carbon composite of claim 1 , 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 the metal-carbon composite.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the metal salt is selected from platinum salt and copper salt.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• C01B32/168

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C01B32/194

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C01B32/23

  Oxidation · CPC title

• C01P2006/10

  Solid density · CPC title

• B01J13/0091 Primary

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