Methods and systems for production of doped carbon nanomaterials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020032404-A1
Application number	US-201816484329-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2018
Priority date	Feb 21, 2017
Publication date	Jan 30, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and process for producing doped carbon nanomaterials is disclosed. A carbonate electrolyte including a doping component is provided during the electrolysis between an anode and a cathode immersed in carbonate electrolyte contained in a cell. The carbonate electrolyte is heated to a molten state. An electrical current is applied to the anode, and cathode, to the molten carbonate electrolyte disposed between the anode and cathode. A morphology element maximizes carbon nanotubes, versus graphene versus carbon nano-onion versus hollow carbon nano-sphere nanomaterial product. The resulting carbon nanomaterial growth is collected from the cathode of the cell.

First claim

1 . A method for producing a carbon nanomaterial comprising:
heating a carbonate electrolyte to obtain a molten carbonate electrolyte; disposing the molten carbonate electrolyte between an anode and a cathode in a cell; including a carbon nanomaterial doping component in the cell; including a nanomaterial selection component in the cell; applying an electrical current to the cathode and the anode in the cell; and collecting doped carbon nanomaterial growth from the cathode of the cell.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomaterial component is free of transition metal, the method further comprising application of an alternating current electrolysis current to the electrolyte.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the electrolysis current is selected for carbon nano-onion product growth.

4 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising adding ZnO to the electrolyte, and wherein the electrolysis current is selected for graphene platelet product growth.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding MgO to the electrolyte and wherein the electrolysis current is selected for hollow carbon nano-sphere product growth.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanomaterial selection component disperses a transition metal and wherein the nanomaterial selection component is selected for carbon nanotube product growth.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component is free of doping additives, and wherein the doping component is selected for intrinsic nanomaterial growth from the cathode.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component includes at least one of a solid electrolyte additive, a liquid electrolyte additive, a gas electrolyte additive, a cathode material, or an anode material.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the doping component is a solid salt, an element, or a covalent compound, wherein the doping component is dissolved, reacted or suspended in the electrolyte.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component contains includes at least one material with a group 3 element.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component contains includes at least one material with a group 1 element, or at least one material with a group 2 element, or at least one material with a non-carbon group 4 element or at least one material with a group 5 element, or at least one material with a group 6 chalcogenide element, or at least one material with gold, platinum, iridium, iron or other row 4, 5 or 6 metals.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component contains a species with oxygen atoms or halide atoms, or comprises one or more of sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, thiophosphate, silicate, borate, thionyl chloride, sulfur chloride, silicon chloride, boron chloride, or borochlorate, thiophosphate, thionyl nitrate, silicon nitrates and nitrites, boronitrides, and boronitrates salts, or sulfur oxide or nitrous oxide gas.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping component includes more than one doping element.

14 . The method of claim 1 wherein said cathode or anode comprises at least one material or alloy selected from the group consisting of: nickel; copper; chromium; iron; manganese; titanium; zinc, zirconium; molybdenum; tantalum; platinum, iridium cobalt; silicon; and carbon pure metal.

15 . The method of claim 1 wherein said doping component comprises a coating on the cathode or the anode.

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanomaterial is a carbon nanotube.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanomaterial is graphene.

18 . The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanomaterial is a carbon nano-onion.

19 . The method of claim 1 wherein the carbon nanomaterial is a hollow carbon nano-sphere.

20 . A method for producing doped carbon nanomaterials comprising:
providing a carbonate electrolyte including a doping component between an anode and a cathode in the cell; heating the carbonate electrolyte to a molten state; applying an electrical current between the anode and the cathode through the carbonate electrolyte disposed between the anode and cathode; and collecting carbon nanomaterial growth from the cathode of the cell.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the doping component is dissolved, reacted or suspended in the electrolyte.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the doping component contains at least one material containing one of boron, silicon, germanium, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, gold, platinum, iridium or iron.

23 . The method of claim 20 wherein the cathode or the anode comprises at least one material, or an alloy, selected from the group consisting of: nickel; copper; chromium; iron; manganese; titanium; zinc, zirconium; molybdenum; tantalum; platinum, iridium cobalt; silicon; and carbon.

24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the carbon nanomaterial growth includes at least one of carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nano-onions and hollow carbon nano-spheres.

25 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the carbonate comprises at least one of an alkali or alkali earth carbonate, or includes at least one additive of a metal oxide, or at least one of lithium, barium, calcium, magnesium or zinc oxide.

26 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the nanomaterials have a length of greater than 100 μm.

27 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the nanomaterials have a length between 1 to 100 μm.

28 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the nanomaterials have a length of less than 1 μm.

29 . A system for producing a carbon nanomaterial, the system comprising:
a current source; a cell holding a molten carbonate electrolyte between an anode and a cathode; a carbon nanomaterial doping component in the cell, wherein the current source is operable to apply an electrical current to the cathode and the anode in the cell to generate doped carbon nanomaterial growth from the cathode of the cell.

Assignees

• C2Cnt Llc

Inventors

• Licht Stuart

Classifications

• C01B32/15

  Nano-sized carbon materials · CPC title

• B82Y40/00 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures · CPC title

• C01B32/16

  Preparation · CPC title

• C25B15/02

  Process control or regulation · CPC title

• C01B32/184 Primary

  Preparation · CPC title