Mesophase pitch-derived graphite foams with selective distribution of TiC nanoparticles for catalytic applications

Abstract

TiC-supported metals are systems of great importance in catalysis science and technology. Albeit their interest, catalysts based on monoliths consisting of TiC-containing carbonaceous foams have not yet been fabricated. This work aims to present a route for fabrication of mesophase pitch-derived open-pore graphite foams with TiC nanoparticles selectively distributed in two locations: at the surface of the pore cells, able for metal-support, and in the bulk, essential to achieve high degree of graphitization for

Open-Pore Foams Modified by Incorporation of New Phases: Multiphase Foams for Thermal, Catalytic and Medical Emerging Applications

“…Recent developments have modified open-pore foams by the incorporation of new phases either into the solid or into the cavities of the porous structure. These materials show considerable improvements in their thermal properties [8,13,14].…”

Insights into the flow behaviour of the AR24 mesophase pitch and nanoparticle-doped AR24 mesophase pitch during infiltration into particulate porous preforms

“…Where P o g is the initial gas pressure in the preform before the initiation of infiltration, h´ denotes the total height of the preform and z, as usual in this text, is the infiltrated distance. In this case, Equation (1) cannot be integrated analytically and has to be solved numerically with the capillary pressure ∆P c (t) calculated by Equations (3) and (4). In this case, spontaneous infiltration occurs for P a =P o g and forced infiltration takes place when P a >P o g .…”

“…Doping the mesophase pitch with TiC nanoparticles was achieved by dispersion with toluene following a procedure that involved five steps [4]: This method that combines mechanical stirring, partial dissolution in toluene and ultrasounds was first proposed in [4] for dispersion of TiC nanoparticles in the AR24 mesophase pitch. The AR24 mesophase pitch dissolves only partially in toluene -its solubility in toluene is as low as 21.9%, as reported in [16].…”

“…The incorporation of TiC nanoparticles into the mesophase pitch has been demonstrated to have intrinsic benefits given its catalytic effect during graphitisation [4]. However, presence of TiC nanoparticles may pose augmented viscosity drawbacks in infiltration processes, which would transfer to reduced infiltration kinetics.…”

“…Tel: 965903400 (2055) M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 2 later obtained by controlled heat treatments at moderate (up to 1400ºC) and high (above 2700ºC) temperatures, respectively. Recent studies have proved that the presence of TiC nanoparticles in naphthalene-based mesophase pitches is beneficial for catalysing their graphitisation transformation [4].…”