Electrochemically expanded materials and reactor and method for producing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019233291-A1
Application number	US-201716318351-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2017
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 1, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and reactors for electrochemically expanding a parent material and expanded parent materials are described. Current methods of expanding parent materials incompletely-expand parent material, requiring expensive and time-consuming separation of expanded parent material from unexpanded parent materials. This problem is addressed by the methods and reactor for electrochemically expanding a parent material described herein, which during operation maintain electrical connectivity between the parent material and an electrical power source. The resulting materials described herein have a greater proportion of expanded parent material relative to unexpanded parent material compared to those made according to others methods.

First claim

1 . A method of producing an expanded parent material from a parent material in contact with an electrolyte solution, comprising applying potential bias to the parent material and the electrolyte solution sufficient to produce the expanded parent material while maintaining electrical connectivity through the parent material as the expanded parent material is generated.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein maintaining electrical connectivity through the parent material comprises applying pressure to the parent material as the expanded parent material is generated.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the parent material and the electrolyte solution are disposed in an expandable chamber and wherein applying pressure to the parent material comprises applying pressure within the expandable chamber.

4 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising agitating the parent material to disperse the parent material in the electrolyte solution.

9 . (canceled)

10 . (canceled)

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte solution comprises lithium ions and an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of dichloromethane, dichlorobenzene, diphenyl ether, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, n-methylpyrrolidone, and combinations thereof.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte solution is a hydrophilic solution, and wherein the method further comprises functionalizing the parent material with a hydrophilic moiety, wherein functionalizing the parent with a hydrophilic moiety comprises heating the parent material in an acidic solution.

13 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A reactor configured to deliver electric current to a parent material to produce expanded parent material, the reactor comprising:
an electrically insulating container, comprising: an expandable chamber configured to contain the parent material, wherein the expandable chamber is configured to expand in at least one direction in order to accommodate expansion of the parent material as it transitions to the expanded parent material, while also maintaining pressure on the parent material and any expanded parent material sufficient to maintain the conditions necessary to generate the expanded parent material; an electrolyte chamber configured to be in fluid communication with an electrolyte solution; and a porous membrane separating the expandable chamber and the electrolyte chamber configured to allow ions to pass through the porous membrane but not the parent material and any expanded parent material; wherein the porous membrane is configured to contain the pressure of the expanded parent material; and an electrical system, comprising:
a first electrode configured to be in electrical communication with an interior of the expandable chamber and any parent material disposed in the expandable chamber; and
a second electrode configured to be in electrical communication with the electrolyte chamber and any electrolyte solution disposed in the electrolyte chamber.

22 . The reactor of claim 21 , further comprising an electrical power source in electrical communication with the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein during operation a circuit is formed that comprises the electrical power source, the first electrode, the second electrode, the electrolyte solution, and the parent material, wherein the electrical power source is configured to produce electrical power sufficient to generate the expanded parent material from the parent material.

23 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the porous membrane comprises pores having pore sizes between about 50 nm and about 10 μm.

24 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the porous membrane comprises pores having pore sizes smaller than an average smallest lateral dimension of the parent material and the expanded parent material.

25 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the porous membrane comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a porous polymeric material, a porous metallic material, porous glass, a woven porous material, a non-woven porous material, and combinations thereof.

26 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the porous membrane comprises a porous material selected from the group consisting of hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), hydrophobic PTFE, glass, cellulose, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, nylon, cotton cloth, cellulose esters, and combinations thereof.

27 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the expandable chamber comprises an expandable element configured to expand as pressure within the expandable chamber increases.

28 . The reactor of claim 27 , wherein the expandable element is selected from the group consisting of a piston, a balloon, bellows, and a diaphragm.

29 - 31 . (canceled)

32 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the expandable chamber is a first expandable chamber, the reactor further comprising:
a second expandable chamber configured to contain a second parent material; wherein the second expandable chamber is configured to expand in at least one direction in order to accommodate expansion of the second parent material as it transitions to a second expanded parent material, while also maintaining pressure on the second parent material and any second expanded parent material sufficient to maintain the conditions necessary to generate the second expanded parent material; a third electrode configured to be in electrical communication with an interior of the second expandable chamber and any second parent material disposed therein; and a second porous membrane separating the second expandable chamber and the electrolyte chamber configured to allow ions to pass through the porous membrane but not the second parent material or the expanded parent material; wherein the second porous membrane is configured to contain the expanding parent material.

33 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein the reactor is a continuous flow reactor configured to continuously transform flowing parent material into expanded parent material.

34 . The reactor of claim 21 , wherein an area of the second electrode is greater than an area of the porous membrane.

35 . The reactor of claim 22 , wherein the electrical power source is configured to apply between about 1 W and about 200 W to any parent material.

36 . The reactor of claim 21 , further comprising an agitator configured to disperse any parent material disposed in the expandable chamber in the electrolyte solution.

37 . A composition comprising an expanded parent material comprising exfoliated nanosheets having an average largest lateral dimension of between about 75 μm and about 300 μm.

38 - 45 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Texas A & M Univ Sys

Inventors

• Achee Thomas C
• Green Micah J
• Sweeney Charles B
• Sun Wanmei

Classifications

• C01P2004/04

  obtained by TEM, STEM, STM or AFM · CPC title

• C01B32/19 Primary

  by exfoliation · CPC title

• C01P2002/82

  by IR- or Raman-data · CPC title

• C01P2004/02

  obtained by optical microscopy · CPC title

• B82Y40/00

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title