Aerogels in Catalysis

Biomass-Derived Carbon Aerogels for ORR/OER Bifunctional Oxygen Electrodes

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are crucial electrochemical reactions that play vital roles in energy conversion and storage technologies, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Typically, noble-metal-based catalysts are required to enhance the sluggish kinetics of the ORR and OER, but their high costs restrict their practical commercial applications. Thus, highly active and strong non-noble metal catalysts are essential to address the cost and durability challenge. Based on previous research, carbon-based catalysts may present the best alternatives to these precious metals in the future owing to their affordability, very large surface areas, and superior mechanical and electrical qualities. In particular, carbon aerogels prepared using biomass as the precursors are referred to as biomass-derived carbon aerogels. They have sparked broad attention and demonstrated remarkable performance in the energy conversion and storage sectors as they are ecologically beneficial, affordable, and have an abundance of precursors. Therefore, this review focuses on various nanostructured materials based on biomass-derived carbon aerogels as ORR/OER catalysts, including metal atoms, metal compounds, and alloys.

Biocides and techniques for their encapsulation: a review

Biocides are compounds that are broadly used to protect products and equipment against microbiological damage. Encapsulation can effectively increase physicochemical stability and allow for controlled release of encapsulated biocides. We categorized microencapsulation into coacervation, sol-gel, and self-assembly methods. The former comprises internal phase separation, interfacial polymerization, and multiple emulsions, and the latter include polymersomes and layer-by-layer techniques. The focus of this review is the description of these categories based on their microencapsulation methods and mechanisms. We discuss the key features and potential applications of each method according to the characteristics of the biocide to be encapsulated, relating the solubility of biocides to the capsule-forming materials, the reactivity between them and the desired release rate. The role of encapsulation in the safety and toxicity of biocide applications is also discussed. Furthermore, future perspectives for biocide applications and encapsulation techniques are presented.

Poly(Urethane-Acrylate) Aerogels via Radical Polymerization of Dendritic Urethane-Acrylate Monomers

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of multifunctionality on material properties of synthetic polymer aerogels. For this purpose, we present the synthesis and characterization of monolithic dendritic-type urethane-acrylate monomers based on an aliphatic/flexible (Desmodur N3300), or an aromatic/rigid (Desmodur RE) triisocyanate core. The terminal acrylate groups (three at the tip of each of the three branches, nine in total) were polymerized with 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) via free radical chemistry. The resulting wet-gels were dried with supercritical fluid (SCF) CO₂. Aerogels were characterized with ATR-FTIR and solid-state 13C NMR. The porous network was probed with N₂-sorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability of aerogels was studied with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Most aerogels were macroporous materials (porosity > 80%), with high thermal stability (up to 300 °C). Aerogels were softer at low monomer concentrations and more rigid at higher concentrations. The material properties were compared with those of analogous aerogels bearing only one acrylate moiety at the tip of each branch and the same cores, and with those of analogous aerogels bearing norbornene instead of acrylate moieties. The nine-terminal acrylate-based monomers of this study caused rapid decrease of the solubility of the growing polymer and made possible aerogels with much smaller particles and much higher surface areas. For the first time, aliphatic/flexible triisocyanate-based materials could be made with similar properties in terms of particle size and surface areas to their aromatic/rigid analogues. Finally, it was found that with monomers with a high number of crosslinkable groups, material properties are determined by multifunctionality and thus aerogels based on 9-acrylate- and 9-norbornene-terminated monomers were similar. Materials with aromatic cores are carbonizable with satisfactory yields (20⁻30% w/w) to mostly microporous materials (BET surface areas: 640⁻740 m² g-1; micropore surface areas: 360⁻430 m² g-1).

Superhydrophobic Silicon Nanocrystal-Silica Aerogel Hybrid Materials: Synthesis, Properties, and Sensing Application

Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) are abundant and exhibit exquisitely tailorable optoelectronic properties. The incorporation of SiNCs into highly porous and lightweight substrates such as aerogels leads to hybrid materials possessing the attractive features of both materials. This study describes the covalent deposition of SiNCs on and intercalation into silica aerogels, explores the properties, and demonstrates a prototype sensing application of the composite material. SiNCs of different sizes were functionalized with triethoxyvinylsilane (TEVS) via a radical grafting approach and subsequently used for the synthesis of photoluminescent silica hybrids. The resulting SiNC-containing aerogels possess high porosities, SiNC-based size-dependent photoluminescence, transparency, and a superhydrophobic macroscopic surface. The materials were used to examine the photoluminescence response toward low concentrations of 3-nitrotoluene (270 μM), demonstrating their potential as a sensing platform for high-energy materials.

Enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electric properties of graphene aerogels via supercritical ethanol drying and high-temperature thermal reduction

Graphene aerogels with high surface areas, ultra-low densities and thermal conductivities have been prepared to exploit their wide applications from pollution adsorption to energy storage, supercapacitor, and thermal insulation. However, the low mechanical properties, poor thermal stability and electric conductivity restrict these aerogels' applications. In this paper, we prepared mechanically strong graphene aerogels with large BET surface areas, low thermal conductivities, high thermal stability and electric conductivities via hydrothermal reduction and supercritical ethanol drying. Annealing at 1500 °C resulted in slightly increased thermal conductivity and further improvement in mechanical properties, oxidation temperature and electric conductivity of the graphene aerogel. The large BET surface areas, together with strong mechanical properties, low thermal conductivities, high thermal stability and electrical conductivities made these graphene aerogels feasible candidates for use in a number of fields covering from batteries to sensors, electrodes, lightweight conductor and insulation materials.

Synthesis of aerogels: from molecular routes to 3-dimensional nanoparticle assembly

Colloidal nanocrystals are extensively used as building blocks in nanoscience, and amazing results have been achieved in assembling them into ordered, close-packed structures. But in spite of great efforts, the size of these structures is typically restricted to a few micrometers, and it is very hard to extend them into the macroscopic world. In comparison, aerogels are macroscopic materials, highly porous, disordered, ultralight and with immense surface areas. With these distinctive characteristics, they are entirely contrary to common nanoparticle assemblies such as superlattices or nanocrystal solids, and therefore cover a different range of applications. While aerogels are traditionally synthesized by molecular routes based on aqueous sol-gel chemistry, in the last few years the gelation of nanoparticle dispersions became a viable alternative to improve the crystallinity and to widen the structural, morphological and compositional complexity of aerogels. In this Review, the different approaches to inorganic non-siliceous and non-carbon aerogels are addressed. We start our discussion with wet chemical routes involving molecular precursors, followed by processing methods using nanoparticles as building blocks. A unique feature of many of these routes is the fact that a macroscopic, often monolithic body is produced by pure self-assembly of nanosized colloids without the need for any templates.

Copper-Based Catalysts Supported on Highly Porous Silica for the Water Gas Shift Reaction

Copper-based nanoparticles, supported on either a silica aerogel or cubic mesostructured silicas obtained by using two different synthetic protocols, were used as catalysts for the water gas shift reaction. The obtained nanocomposites were thoroughly characterised before and after catalysis through nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements at -196 °C, TEM, and wide- and low-angle XRD. The samples before catalysis contained nanoparticles of copper oxides (either CuO or Cu₂ O), whereas the formation of metallic copper nanoparticles, constituting the active catalytic phase, was observed either by using pre-treatment in a reducing atmosphere or directly during the catalytic reaction owing to the presence of carbon monoxide. A key role in determining the catalytic performances of the samples is played by the ability of different matrices to promote a high dispersion of copper metal nanoparticles. The best catalytic performances are obtained with the aerogel sample, which also exhibits constant carbon monoxide conversion values at constant temperature and reproducible behaviour after subsequent catalytic runs. On the other hand, in the catalysts based on cubic mesostructured silica, the detrimental effects related to sintering of copper nanoparticles are avoided only on the silica support, which is able to produce a reasonable dispersion of the copper nanophase.

Low Concentration Fe-Doped Alumina Catalysts Using Sol-Gel and Impregnation Methods: The Synthesis, Characterization and Catalytic Performance during the Combustion of Trichloroethylene

The role of iron in two modes of integration into alumina catalysts was studied at 0.39 wt% Fe and tested in trichloroethylene combustion. One modified alumina was synthesized using the sol-gel method with Fe added in situ during hydrolysis; another modification was performed using calcined alumina, prepared using the sol-gel method and impregnated with Fe. Several characterization techniques were used to study the level of Fe modification in the γ-Al₂O₃ phase formed and to correlate the catalytic properties during trichloroethylene (TCE) combustion. The introduction of Fe in situ during the sol-gel process influenced the crystallite size, and three iron species were generated, namely, magnetite, maghemite and hematite. The impregnated Fe-alumina formed hematite and maghemite, which were highly dispersed on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), FT-IR and Mössbauer spectroscopy analyses revealed how Fe interacted with the γ-Al₂O₃ lattice in both catalysts. The impregnated Fe-catalyst showed the best catalytic performance compared to the catalyst that was Fe-doped in situ by the sol-gel method; both had better catalytic activity than pure alumina. This difference in activity was correlated with the accessibility of the reactants to the hematite iron species on the surface. The chlorine poisoning for all three catalysts was less than 1.8%.

Chitin nanowhisker aerogels

Chitin nanowhiskers are structured into mesoporous aerogels by using the same benign process used previously in our group to make cellulose nanowhisker aerogels. The nanowhiskers are sonicated in water to form a hydrogel before solvent-exchange with ethanol and drying under supercritical CO2 (scCO2 ). Aerogels are prepared with various densities and porosities, relating directly to the initial chitin nanowhisker content. scCO2 drying enables the mesoporous network structure to be retained as well as allowing the gel to retain its initial dimensions. The chitin aerogels have low densities (0.043-0.113 g cm(-3) ), high porosities (up to 97 %), surface areas of up to 261 m(2)  g(-1) , and mechanical properties at the high end of other reported values (modulus between 7 and 9.3 MPa). The aerogels were further characterized by using X-ray diffraction, BET analysis, electron microscopy, FTIR, and thermogravimetric analysis. Characterization showed that the rod-like crystalline nature of the nanowhiskers was retained during the aerogel production process, making the aerogel truly an assembled structure of chitin nanocrystals. These aerogels also showed the lowest reported shrinkage during drying to date, with an average shrinkage of only 4 %.

Influence of Chemical Conditions on the Nanoporous Structure of Silicate Aerogels

Silica or various silicate aerogels can be characterized by highly porous, open cell, low density structures. The synthesis parameters influence the three-dimensional porous structures by modifying the kinetics and mechanism of hydrolysis and condensation processes. Numerous investigations have shown that the structure of porous materials can be tailored by variations in synthesis conditions (e.g., the type of precursors, catalyst, and surfactants; the ratio of water/precursor; the concentrations; the medium pH; and the solvent). The objectives of this review are to summarize and elucidate the effects of chemical conditions on the nanoporous structure of sol-gel derived silicate aerogels.

Characterisation of Nanocrystalline Magnesium Oxide by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

There are numerous methods of preparing nanocrystalline materials. Magnesium oxide is an ideal model system on which to probe the relation of the preparative route and the microstructure. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) we show that the sol-gel route can be used to prepare highly crystalline material provided there is careful control of the calcination conditions. In the present work this is achieved by calcining at high temperatures (at least 800 degrees C). However, this results in grain growth that can be prevented by the addition of a pinning agent, SiO(2), during the preparation of the sol. The pinned samples maintain a particle size of 11 nm even after calcining at 1000 degrees C. Ball-milling is a common method of preparing nanocrystalline oxides, however the present work shows that this produces a significant fraction of amorphous material, the fraction increasing with decreasing grain size (e.g. approximately 30 % for a grain size of 23 nm).

Structural, Textural, and Electronic Properties of a Nanosized Mesoporous ZnxTi1-xO2-x Solid Solution Prepared by a Supercritical Drying Route

Mesoporous nanosized TiO2 and Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution having a Zn content below 10 mol % with a particles size between 13 and 17 nm are prepared by a template-free sol-gel method followed by high-temperature supercritical drying in 2-propanol. The structural, textural, and electronic properties of the obtained nanomaterials are methodically investigated by using XRD, SEM, TEM, ED, HREM, EDX, ICP-OES, N(2) adsorption-desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the proposed synthesis technique leads to the formation of a Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution based on the anatase crystal structure rather than a two-phase sample. High-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction indicate that the distribution of zinc atoms over the anatase structure does not lead to a considerable deformation of the crystal structure.

Novel routes to Cu(salicylaldimine) covalently bound to silica: combined pulse EPR and in situ attenuated total reflection-IR studies of the immobilization

Several novel routes for the immobilization of modified Cu(salicylaldimine) complexes on commercially available silica are described. New pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance sequences, which provide more detailed information than that available previously, in combination with continuous wave EPR, allow a definitive assignment of the geometry at the copper center in the immobilized Cu(salicylaldimine). Immobilization of the modified Cu(salicylaldimine) on silica was followed in situ by monitoring the intensity of the characteristic free- and metal-coordinated imine bands as a function of time using attenuated total reflectance IR spectroscopy. On the basis of these studies, the outcome of the Schiff base condensation of Cu-bis(salicylaldehyde) with gamma-aminopropyl-modified silica gel is shown to provide immobilized trans-O(2)N(2)- and O(3)N-coordinated immobilized Cu(salicylaldimine)-type compounds. In addition, trans-O(2)N(2)- or O(3)N-coordinated copper centers are selectively prepared on silica by controlling the aminopropyl modifier loading, thus opening a route to compounds not available by conventional synthesis. The O(3)N-coordinated Cu(salicylaldimine)-type compound on silica was investigated as a precursor for the synthesis of a tethered chiral Cu(salicylaldimine) via reaction of the coordinated carbonyl group with (R)-(+)-alpha-methylbenzylamine. Supported Cu(salicylaldimine) was also prepared via the immobilization of the appropriate silylethoxy-modified homogeneous precursor on silica gel. Precursors and silica-supported Cu(salicylaldimine) materials have been fully characterized. Comparisons are drawn with related Cu(salicylaldimine) immobilized in silica aerogels.

Catalytic nanoarchitectures--the importance of nothing and the unimportance of periodicity

Heterogeneous catalysis has always been an inherently nanoscopic phenomenon with important technological and societal consequences for energy conversion and the production of chemicals. New opportunities for improved performance arise when the multifunctionality inherent in catalytic processes, including molecular transport of reactants and products, is rethought in light of architectures designed and fabricated from the appropriate nanoscale building blocks, including the use of "nothing" (void space) and deliberate disorder as design components. Architectures with all of the appropriate electrochemical and catalytic requirements, including large surface areas readily accessible to molecules, may now be assembled on the benchtop. Designing catalytic nanoarchitectures that depart from the hegemony of periodicity and order offers the promise of even higher activity.

Sol-gel synthesis of ternary phosphate-ZrO2-SiO2 catalysts for alcohol dehydration

Phosphate–ZrO2–Si2O catalysts were synthesized by sol-gel method using tributyl phosphite, zirconium propoxide, and tetraethyl orthosilicate as precursors. They were characterized by N2 adsorption, 31P CP MAS NMR, and DRIFTS. At lower P content, monomeric phosphates were formed on the surface of the catalysts, which were mainly responsible for the isopropanol dehydration activity. At higher P content, polyphosphates were formed, and thus, the dehydration activity decreased. An optimum P content for dehydration activity was found to be at 10 mol%.Key words: sol-gel synthesis, ternary oxides, phosphate, acid catalyst, alcohol dehydration, 31P CP MAS NMR, N2 adsorption, DRIFTS.

One-pot sol-gel synthesis of sulfated ZrO2-SiO2 catalysts for alcohol dehydration

Sulfated ZrO2–SiO2 catalysts were synthesized by one-pot sol-gel method using ammonium sulfate, zirconium propoxide, and tetraethyl orthosilicate as precursors. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption and DRIFTS. On calcining the gel at elevated temperature, the ammonium sulfate decomposed, giving a sulfated zirconia–silica catalyst. By adding ammonium sulfate to the sol-gel synthesis system, the surface area, pore size, and pore volume of the resultant catalyst were increased. The one-pot sol-gel synthesized catalyst with an optimum loading of SO42– 14 mol% showed significantly higher catalytic activity, with a selectivity of 100%, for isopropanol dehydration when compared to the impregnated catalyst. The one-pot sol-gel synthesis method is an effective way to prepare sulfated zirconia catalyst.Key words: sulfated zirconia, sol-gel synthesis, acid catalyst, alcohol dehydration, N2 adsorption, DRIFT.