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AssigneeHydro-Quebec
InventorsRobert Schulz, Guy Lalande, Jacques Huot, Marie-Chantal Denis, Guoxian Liang, Andre Van Neste, Daniel Guay, Jean-Pol Dodelet
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Leached nanocrystalline materials having a high specific surface are particularly useful for storing hydrogen or as catalysts or electrocatalysts in the manufacture electrodes, especially for fuel cells. Such materials can be manufactured by preparing a nanocrystalline material consisting of a metastable composite or alloy of at least two different chemical elements. To be nanocrystalline, this material must have a crystalline structure with the grain size lower than 100 nm. Then, the so prepared nanocrystalline material can be subjected to a leaching treatment in order to eliminate partially or totally one of the elements of the composite or alloy. This leaching results in nanocrystalline materials having a porous structure and, thereby, the requested high specific surface.
A process for the manufacture of a nanocrystalline material having a specific surface area equal to or higher than 2 m.sup.2 /g, comprising the steps of:
A nanocrystalline material useful as an intermediate for the manufacture of a nanocrystalline material having a specific surface area equal to or higher than 2 m.sup.2 /g, which is itself useful for the manufacture of electrodes, said intermediate having a nanocrystalline structure with a grain size lower than 100 nm and being in the form of a composite or alloy made of:
A nanocrystalline material useful as an intermediate for the manufacture of a nanocrystalline material having a specific surface equal to higher than 2 m.sup.2 /g, which is itself useful for storing hydrogen, said intermediate having a nanocrystalline structure with a grain size lower than 100 nm and being in the form of a composite or alloy made of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.