SNM: Scalable and Sustainable Hydrothermal Manufacturing of Nano-array based Low Temperature Diesel Oxidation Catalysts

CMMI-1344792Pu-Xian Gao，天风路，祝银人，Steven Suib，康涅狄格大学的水热处理已经成为一种潜在的经济的纳米制造方法，由于节能、成本效益、简单和低操作温度(LOT)。然而，水热处理的科学性仍然难以捉摸，特别是在纳米结构成核和生长、图案化和自组装成器件形式的空间分布方面，这直接影响到组装(器件)的产量、生长速度、一致性和批次之间的重复性。本项目的目标是设计和验证一种外能场辅助流动水热制备技术，用于连续、可扩展和可持续地合成基于三维纳米结构阵列(纳米阵列)的新型低温催化柴油氧化整体式催化剂，并了解潜在的传质和生长反应化学。具有明确的尺寸、形状和取向的整体上的纳米阵列将基于选择性的金属氧化物合成，目标从实验室规模、大规模到工业相关的制造阶段。搅拌间歇式和连续流反应器技术将结合电场、微波和超声波辐射等加速生产率的外部能量进行系统的研究。计算流体力学将用于在理论分析和数值模拟的基础上对催化剂进行设计和优化。详细的流场分布、化学动力学和实验验证将指导场辅助生长反应器的设计和控制。将在纳米阵列上进行各种金属掺杂，以实现催化柴油氧化的批量活性和选择性。这些结构化纳米催化剂将被测试和验证为用于碳氢化合物和氮氧化物氧化的低温柴油氧化催化剂(DOC)。该项目将通过外部能源场的实施，在三维整体设备/系统水平上提供关于纳米材料组件的热力学、传输和生长行为的新见解。由此产生的结构化纳米催化剂将为汽车行业提供急需的大量文档，并将直接影响燃油经济性、能源和环境的可持续性。这种阵列还将提供适用于化学、机械和生物技术行业的独特设备平台。水热法制造的实验和模型互补研究也可应用于其他涉及溶液或气相的纳米制造案例。该项目强调涉及材料科学、化学工程、化学和机械工程的跨学科教育和培训，以及与联合技术公司、优美科、VeruTEK和Ansys的强大工业合作伙伴关系。PIs和产业合作伙伴每年都会举办一次关于“先进纳米材料：制造和加工”的夏季研讨会，目标是社区大学生和高中教师，他们最终将影响一些代表不足的少数族裔学生，形成未来纳米制造行业的潜在劳动力。在儿童科学家计划中，将为K-12学生举办暑期实验室课程。纳米阵列催化剂？将创建主题网站，以传播该项目的信息，并为公众设立单独的访问渠道。在该项目的第三年，将举行一次关于催化纳米材料制造的国际会议。在康涅狄格州大学。

CMMI-1344792Pu-Xian Gao, Tianfeng Lu, Zhuyin Ren, and Steven SuibUniversity of Connecticut Hydrothermal processing has emerged as a potentially economic method for nanomanufacturing, due to energy saving, cost effectiveness, simplicity and low operation temperature (LOT). However, the scientific nature of hydrothermal processing remains elusive, particularly on the spatial distribution of nanostructure nucleation and growth, patterning and self-assembly into device forms, which directly impact the assembly (device) yield, growth rate, uniformity, and batch-to-batch repeatability. The goal of this project is to design and validate an external-energy-field assisted flow hydrothermal manufacturing technique for continuous, scalable and sustainable syntheses of a new class of monolithic catalysts, based on three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructure arrays (nano-array), for low temperature catalytic diesel oxidation, and to understand the underlying mass transport and growth reaction chemistry. With well-defined size, shape and orientation, nano-arrays on monoliths will be synthesized based on selective metal oxides, targeting from the lab-scale, large-scale, to industrially relevant manufacturing stages. Both stirred batch and continuous flow reactor techniques will be systematically studied in combination with production-rate-acceleration external energies such as electrical fields, microwaves and ultrasonic radiation. Computational fluid dynamics will be used to design and optimize catalysts based on theoretical analyses and numerical modeling using. Detailed flow field distributions, chemical kinetics, and experimental validation will guide the design and control of the field-assisted growth reactors. Various metal doping will be conducted on the nano-arrays to enable LOT activity and selectivity for catalytic diesel oxidations. These structured nanocatalysts will be tested and validated as low temperature diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) for hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide oxidations.This project will provide new insights on the thermodynamic, transport and growth behavior of nanomaterial assemblies at a 3-D monolithic device/system level, as accelerated by external energy field implementation. The resulting structured nanocatalysts will provide a much needed class of LOT DOCs for the automotive industry, and will directly impact the fuel economy, energy and environmental sustainability. Such arrays will also provide a unique device platform applicable in chemical, mechanical, and biotechnology industries. The complementary experimental and modeling study for hydrothermal manufacturing could be applied to other nanomanufacturing cases involving solution or gas phases. This project emphasizes interdisciplinary education and training involving materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry, and mechanical engineering, as well as the strong industrial partnerships with United Technologies Corporation, Umicore, VeruTEK, and ANSYS. A summer workshop on "Advanced Nanomaterials: Manufacturing and Processing" will be hosted every year by the PIs and industrial partners, targeting community college students and high school teachers, who will eventually influence a number of underrepresented minority students, forming a potential workforce for nanomanufacturing industry of the future. A summer lab course will be held for K-12 students in the Kids Are Scientists Too Program. A ?Nano-Array Catalysts? theme website will be created to disseminate information from this project with a separate access set up for the general public. In the third year of the project an international conference will be held on ?Catalytic Nanomaterials Manufacturing? at UCONN.