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nGimat is focusing on catalysis, purification, and
automotive emission control catalysis. In three-way
catalysis for automotive exhaust, currently available CeO2
particles prepared via wet chemical methods lose most of
their surface area at high temperature, which reduces their
catalytic activity. Materials can be purified by exposure to
nanopowders that selectively absorb specific materials and can be
released when desired. Industry needs alternative methods for
production of thermally stable nanoparticles and doped
materials with improved stability. The Company is
developing CeO2 nanoparticles with improved thermal
stability and novel compositions for improved catalytic
activity, absorption, and stability. Recent results indicate that
nGimat-made CeO2 nanopowders retain up to 50% of their
initial surface area when exposed to temperatures of 1000 C,
an order of magnitude better than conventional
wet-chemistry made CeO2 nanopowders. The Company is also providing quantities
of various nanopowders for testing as a catalyst in
synthesis, purification, and emission reduction applications.
Enhanced textural and thermal properties and, particularly,
with high specific surface area is needed to prevent
time-degradation and stabilize the performance.
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Size stability comparison of commercially available ceria nanopowder
and nGimat ceria nanopowder |
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Electron microscopy images of nGimat's ceria powders with controlled
particle sizes and shapes |
Desulfurization
nGimat's flame-generated nanopowders and composites make high
performance, low-cost sorbents for fuel desulfurization. Hydrogen
sulfide and organosulfur species are typically present in heavy
hydrocarbon fuels at concentrations ranging from hundreds of ppm to
several percent. In order to comply with increasingly strict
emissions standards, commercial and military entities must filter
sulfur-bearing compounds out of fuels either pre or post combustion.
Nanomaterials offer high capacity regenerable sulfur removal in
lightweight low-cost systems. nGimat has prepared fluorite
nanomaterials that have exhibited sulfur removal capacities more
than 20x higher than leading Zn-based micron-size materials. The
breakthrough curve below shows comparative sulfur removal capacity
behavior between standard zinc titanate micron-size powder and
nGimat proprietary nanopowder (conditions: 1% H2S 3.8 lpm; zinc
titanate sorbent charge: 5.2 g; nGimat powder charge: 2 g). The
larger particle Zn-based powders have 10-20 times less sulfur
filtering capacity than the nanomaterials and gaseous levels rapidly
rise after a brief period.
Desulfurization Brochure
Hydrogen Generation
nGimat's nanopowders and composites also make high performance,
low-cost catalysts for fuel reforming. Hydrocarbon fuels can be
reformed with catalysts in the presence of steam to make hydrogen
fuel, an essential gas for next-generation power sources, refining
processes, electronics applications, and food processing. To enhance
hydrogen production capacity and purity, new catalysts must be used
with distinct performance advantages. Additionally, lowering
reforming reaction temperatures is attractive if lowering process
energy input is desired. Nanomaterials offer enhanced hydrogen
production capacity per unit weight at low temperatures when
compared with larger particle materials. nGimat has prepared oxide
nanomaterials that have exhibited hydrogen production capacities
more than seventy times higher than leading micron-size materials.
The graph below shows comparative hydrogen generation behavior
between standard fluorite-based micron-size powder and nGimat
nanopowder materials (nGimat formulation 1 and nGimat formulation
2). (Conditions: furnace ramp at 10 °C/min in pure methane.) nGimat
formulation 1 powders have superior catalytic activity below 400 °C
by nearly two orders of magnitude.
Hydrogen Generation Brochure
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