Nano-skeletal catalyst

Abstract

A method of producing a catalyst material with nano-scale structure, the method comprising: introducing a starting powder into a nano-powder production reactor, the starting powder comprising a catalyst material; the nano-powder production reactor nano-sizing the starting powder, thereby producing a nano-powder from the starting powder, the nano-powder comprising a plurality of nano-particles, each nano-particle comprising the catalyst material; and forming a catalyst precursor material from the nano-powder, wherein the catalyst precursor material is a densified bulk porous structure comprising the catalyst material, the catalyst material having a nano-scale structure.

1 - 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A system for producing a catalyst material with nano-scale structure, the system comprising:
 a powder dispensing device configured to provide a starting powder, the starting powder comprising a catalyst material;   a nano-powder production reactor configured to receive the starting powder from the powder dispensing device and produce a nano-powder from the starting powder, the nano-powder comprising a plurality of nano-particles each comprising the catalyst material; and   a bonding device configured to receive the nano-powder and form a catalyst precursor material from the nano-powder, wherein the catalyst precursor material is a densified bulk structure comprising the catalyst material, the catalyst material having a nano-scale structure.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the nano-powder production reactor is configured to produce the nano-powder by:
 generating a plasma flow within the nano-powder production reactor; and   applying the plasma flow to the starting powder.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the bonding device is configured to bond the nano-powder using spark plasma sintering, wherein the spark plasma sintering preserves the nano-scale structure of the catalyst material. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the starting powder, the nano-particles from the nano-powder production reactor, and the bulk porous structure of the catalyst precursor material each further comprises a filler material.    
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the system further comprises an etching apparatus.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the etching apparatus is configured to remove surface contamination from the nano-scale catalyst material. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the etching apparatus employs a supercritical solution. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the bulk structure is porous. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the catalyst material comprises a metal of the transition group VIII of the periodic table of elements. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the catalyst material comprises nickel, iron, cobalt, or copper. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the filler material comprises aluminum, zinc, or silicon. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the catalyst precursor material further comprises a promoter material. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , wherein the promoter material comprises zinc, molybdenum, or chromium. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the system further comprises a leaching  apparatus. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the leaching apparatus is configured to remove a substantial portion of the filler material from the bulk structure of the catalyst precursor material. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the leaching apparatus employs a supercritical solution. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the leaching apparatus employs a basic solution. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein the bonding device is configured to bond the nano-powder using field assisted sintering technique (FAST) or pulsed electric current sintering (PECS). 
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising a sampling device.