Sergio Morales-Torres

Design of low-temperature Pt-carbon combustion catalysts for VOC's treatments.

Two series of Pt/C-catalysts were prepared using pure carbon aerogels as supports. The influence of porosity, surface chemistry and Pt dispersion on the activity of Pt/C combustion catalysts was analyzed. The synthesis of the supports was fitted to have a monomodal pore size distribution in the meso and macropore range respectively. Both supports were functionalized by oxidation treatment with H(2)O(2) or (NH(4))(2)S(2)O(8). These treatments did not modify the porosity significantly, but the surface chemistry changed from basic to acid as oxygen content increased. In this way, Pt-dispersion decreased as a result of the low thermal stability of surface carboxylic acid groups. Benzene was selected as target VOCs and the catalytic combustion performance depended mainly on the porous texture and Pt-dispersion, while the variations in the surface chemistry of carbon supports due to oxidation treatments seemed to have a weak influence on this kind of reaction.

Development of Carbon Coatings for Cordierite Foams : An Alternative to Cordierite Honeycombs

Cordierite foams were prepared by replication of polyurethane foams and were coated with three types of carbon xerogels. The dip coating and synthesis conditions were optimized, and the coated foams were characterized exhaustively. The composition of the starting solution, coat loading, and carbonization temperature are the most important parameters determining both textural and mechanical properties. Carbon xerogel coatings obtained from aqueous solutions of resorcinol (R) and formaldehyde (F) are macro-, meso-, and microporous but present the greatest shrinkage, which causes a loss of adhesion between ceramic foams and carbon coatings. The coatings from polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) and RF-poly(vinyl butyral) (Butvar) resin are highly microporous and present very good adhesion even after carbonization. In all cases, coatings induce the improvement of the mechanical properties, which is related to the fact that the coating fills the defects present in the cordierite foams, thereby affecting both the rigidity and the way cracks propagate through the coated samples. These materials, due to the synergetic role of the highly porous coatings and the tortuous channels of the ceramic foams, are suitable materials for adsorption or catalytic treatments of fluids.