Enhancing Catalytic Performance with Ni Foam-Coated Porous Ni Particles via 1-Butene Hydrogenation.

The efficient hydrogenation of 1-butene is an industrially significant reaction for producing fuels and value-added chemicals. However, achieving high catalytic efficiency and stability remains challenging, particularly for cost-effective materials, such as Ni. In this study, we developed a porous Ni-coated Ni foam catalyst by electrostatic spray deposition to address these challenges.

High-Temperature Current Collection Enabled by the in Situ Phase Transformation of Cobalt-Nickel Foam for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

For the commercial development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), cathode current collection has been one of the most challenging issues because it is extremely difficult to form continuous electric paths between two rigid components in a high-temperature oxidizing atmosphere. Herein, we present a Co-Ni foam as an innovative cathode current collector that fulfills all strict thermochemical and thermomechanical requirements for use in SOFCs. The Co-Ni foam is originally in the form of a metal alloy, offering excellent mechanical properties and manufacturing tolerance during stack assembly and startup processes.

Nickel powders recycled from invar scrap by magnesiothermic reduction.

A study on the recovery of nickel from Fe-Ni alloy scrap was conducted using molten magnesium by dissolving only Ni component and then removing Mg using vacuum distillation method. The recovering faction of nickel higher than 99% was achieved at temperatures above 1,073 K and 99.5% of purity level of nickel was successfully obtained under vacuum degree of 10(-5) torr at temperatures above 1,273 K.

Preparation of Li4Ti5O12 yolk-shell powders by spray pyrolysis and their electrochemical properties.

We have reported for the first time the preparation of yolk-shell-structured Li4Ti5O12 powders for use as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. One Li4Ti5O12 yolk-shell-particle powder is directly formed from each droplet containing lithium, titanium, and carbon components inside the hot wall reactor maintained at 900 °C. The precursor Li4Ti5O12 yolk-shell-particle powders, which are directly prepared by spray pyrolysis, have initial discharge and charge capacities of 155 and 122 mA h g(-1) , respectively, at a current density of 175 mA g(-1) .

Preparation of conductive Cu thin film by the reaction of Cu nitrate with polymers.

Cu nanoparticle-colloid was prepared by using electrical wire explosion process in liquid and it showed good dispersion stability without any kinds of additives. Mixed Cu nano-colloid was prepared with Cu nanoparticle-colloid, Copper (II) nitrate trihydrate, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone. Cu atoms are supplied from the dissociation reaction between Copper (II) nitrate trihydrate and polyvinyl pyrrolidone and fill up the gaps between Cu nanoparticles during the thermal sintering.

Solution processed aluminum paper for flexible electronics.

As an alternative to vacuum deposition, preparation of highly conductive papers with aluminum (Al) features is successfully achieved by the solution process consisting of Al precursor ink (AlH(3){O(C(4)H(9))(2)}) and low temperature stamping process performed at 110 °C without any serious hydroxylation and oxidation problems. Al features formed on several kinds of paper substrates (calendar, magazine, and inkjet printing paper substrates) are less than ~60 nm thick, and their electrical conductivities were found to be as good as thermally evaporated Al film or even better (≤2 Ω/□). Strong adhesion of Al features to paper substrates and their excellent flexibility are also experimentally confirmed by TEM observation and mechanical tests, such as tape and bending tests.

A novel solution-stamping process for preparation of a highly conductive aluminum thin film.

A novel solution-stamping process for the preparation of a highly conductive aluminum thin film on both rigid and flexible substrates is proposed. The superior electrical properties of Al thin films fabricated by the solution-stamping process compared to silver and gold films fabricated from colloidal nanoparticles are experimentally demonstrated, and their applications in electronic circuits on rigid and flexible substrates and to organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are investigated.

Ultrathin titania coating for high-temperature stable SiO2/Pt nanocatalysts.

The facile synthesis of silica supported platinum nanoparticles with ultrathin titania coating to enhance metal-support interactions suitable for high temperature reactions is reported, as thermal and structure stability of metal nanoparticles is important for catalytic reactions.