Silicon carbide-based membranes with high soot particle filtration efficiency, durability and catalytic activity for CO/HC oxidation and soot combustion

Porous Silicon Carbide (SiC): A Chance for Improving Catalysts or Just Another Active-Phase Carrier?

There is an obvious gap between efforts dedicated to the control of chemicophysical and morphological properties of catalyst active phases and the attention paid to the search of new materials to be employed as functional carriers in the upgrading of heterogeneous catalysts. Economic constraints and common habits in preparing heterogeneous catalysts have narrowed the selection of active-phase carriers to a handful of materials: oxide-based ceramics (e.g. Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, and aluminosilicates-zeolites) and carbon. However, these carriers occasionally face chemicophysical constraints that limit their application in catalysis. For instance, oxides are easily corroded by acids or bases, and carbon is not resistant to oxidation. Therefore, these carriers cannot be recycled. Moreover, the poor thermal conductivity of metal oxide carriers often translates into permanent alterations of the catalyst active sites (i.e. metal active-phase sintering) that compromise the catalyst performance and its lifetime on run. Therefore, the development of new carriers for the design and synthesis of advanced functional catalytic materials and processes is an urgent priority for the heterogeneous catalysis of the future. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a non-oxide semiconductor with unique chemicophysical properties that make it highly attractive in several branches of catalysis. Accordingly, the past decade has witnessed a large increase of reports dedicated to the design of SiC-based catalysts, also in light of a steadily growing portfolio of porous SiC materials covering a wide range of well-controlled pore structure and surface properties. This review article provides a comprehensive overview on the synthesis and use of macro/mesoporous SiC materials in catalysis, stressing their unique features for the design of efficient, cost-effective, and easy to scale-up heterogeneous catalysts, outlining their success where other and more classical oxide-based supports failed. All applications of SiC in catalysis will be reviewed from the perspective of a given chemical reaction, highlighting all improvements rising from the use of SiC in terms of activity, selectivity, and process sustainability. We feel that the experienced viewpoint of SiC-based catalyst producers and end users (these authors) and their critical presentation of a comprehensive overview on the applications of SiC in catalysis will help the readership to create its own opinion on the central role of SiC for the future of heterogeneous catalysis.

In-Situ Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocomposites in the Si-Ti-N and Si-Ti-C Systems

The pyrolysis (1000 °C) of a liquid poly(vinylmethyl-co-methyl)silazane modified by tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium in flowing ammonia, nitrogen and argon followed by the annealing (1000–1800 °C) of as-pyrolyzed ceramic powders have been investigated in detail. We first provide a comprehensive mechanistic study of the polymer-to-ceramic conversion based on TG experiments coupled with in-situ mass spectrometry and ex-situ solid-state NMR and FTIR spectroscopies of both the chemically modified polymer and the pyrolysis intermediates. The pyrolysis leads to X-ray amorphous materials with chemical bonding and ceramic yields controlled by the nature of the atmosphere. Then, the structural evolution of the amorphous network of ammonia-, nitrogen- and argon-treated ceramics has been studied above 1000 °C under nitrogen and argon by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. HRTEM images coupled with XRD confirm the formation of nanocomposites after annealing at 1400 °C. Their unique nanostructural feature appears to be the result of both the molecular origin of the materials and the nature of the atmosphere used during pyrolysis. Samples are composed of an amorphous Si-based ceramic matrix in which TiN_xC_y nanocrystals (x + y = 1) are homogeneously formed “in situ” in the matrix during the process and evolve toward fully crystallized compounds as TiN/Si₃N₄, TiN_xC_y (x + y = 1)/SiC and TiC/SiC nanocomposites after annealing to 1800 °C as a function of the atmosphere.

Hydrogen Selective SiCH Inorganic-Organic Hybrid/γ-Al2O3 Composite Membranes

Solar hydrogen production via the photoelectrochemical water-splitting reaction is attractive as one of the environmental-friendly approaches for producing H₂. Since the reaction simultaneously generates H₂ and O₂, this method requires immediate H₂ recovery from the syngas including O₂ under high-humidity conditions around 50 °C. In this study, a supported mesoporous γ-Al₂O₃ membrane was modified with allyl-hydrido-polycarbosilane as a preceramic polymer and subsequently heat-treated in Ar to deliver a ternary SiCH organic–inorganic hybrid/γ-Al₂O₃ composite membrane. Relations between the polymer/hybrid conversion temperature, hydrophobicity, and H₂ affinity of the polymer-derived SiCH hybrids were studied to functionalize the composite membranes as H₂-selective under saturated water vapor partial pressure at 50 °C. As a result, the composite membranes synthesized at temperatures as low as 300–500 °C showed a H₂ permeance of 1.0–4.3 × 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ with a H₂/N₂ selectivity of 6.0–11.3 under a mixed H₂-N₂ (2:1) feed gas flow. Further modification by the 120 °C-melt impregnation of low molecular weight polycarbosilane successfully improved the H₂-permselectivity of the 500 °C-synthesized composite membrane by maintaining the H₂ permeance combined with improved H₂/N₂ selectivity as 3.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ with 36. These results revealed a great potential of the polymer-derived SiCH hybrids as novel hydrophobic membranes for purification of solar hydrogen.

Emission reduction characteristics of a catalyzed continuously regenerating trap after-treatment system and its durability performance

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a catalyzed continuously regenerating trap (CCRT) system composed of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CDPF) on the main gaseous and particulate emissions from an urban diesel bus, as well as the durability performance of the CCRT system. Experiments were conducted based on a heavy chassis dynamometer, and a laboratory activity test as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) test were applied to evaluate the changes of the aged CCRT catalyst. Results showed that the CCRT could reduce the CO by 71.5% and the total hydrocarbons (THC) by 88.9%, and meanwhile promote the oxidation of NO. However, the conversion rates for CO and THC dropped to 25.1% and 55.1%, respectively, after the CCRT was used for one year (~60,000 km), and the NO oxidation was also weakened. For particulate emissions, the CCRT could reduce 97.4% of the particle mass (PM) and almost 100% of the particle number (PN). The aging of the CCRT resulted in a reduced PM trapping efficiency but had no observable effect on the PN; however, it increased the proportion of nucleation mode particles. The activity test results indicated that the deterioration of the CCRT was directly relevant to the increase in the light-off temperatures of the catalyst for CO, C₃H₈ and NO₂. In addition, the decreased concentrations of the active components Pt²⁺ and Pt⁴⁺ in the catalyst are also important factors in the CCRT deterioration.

Crosslinking chemistry of poly(vinylmethyl-co-methyl)silazanes toward low-temperature formable preceramic polymers as precursors of functional aluminium-modified Si–C–N ceramics

Study of the crosslinking chemistry of liquid polysilazanes with alane hydride-based complex.

Molecular-Level Processing of Si-(B)-C Materials with Tailored Nano/Microstructures

The design of Si-(B)-C materials is investigated, with detailed insight into the precursor chemistry and processing, the precursor-to-ceramic transformation, and the ceramic microstructural evolution at high temperatures. In the early stage of the process, the reaction between allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) and borane dimethyl sulfide is achieved. This is investigated in detail through solid-state NMR and FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analyses for Si/B ratios ranging from 200 to 30. Boron-based bridges linking AHPCS monomeric fragments act as crosslinking units, extending the processability range of AHPCS and suppressing the distillation of oligomeric fragments during the low-temperature pyrolysis regime. Polymers with low boron contents display appropriate requirements for facile processing in solution, leading to the design of monoliths with hierarchical porosity, significant pore volume, and high specific surface area after pyrolysis. Polymers with high boron contents are more appropriate for the preparation of dense ceramics through direct solid shaping and pyrolysis. We provide a comprehensive study of the thermal decomposition mechanisms, and a subsequent detailed study of the high-temperature behavior of the ceramics produced at 1000 °C. The nanostructure and microstructure of the final SiC-based ceramics are intimately linked to the boron content of the polymers. B₄ C/C/SiC nanocomposites can be obtained from the polymer with the highest boron content.