Carbon layered materials

The similarity of M0S2 to graphite has been noted. Like elemental carbon, which has been found to form nanotubular stmctures, M0S2 has also been found to form nested stmctures upon exposure to the electron beam in an electron microscope (23). Moreover, M0S2 displays a variety of intercalation reactions typical of layered materials. Single-layer M0S2 has been successfully prepared and manipulated (22). 

In Fig. 13 is shown the 002 lattice images of an as-formed very thin VGCF. The innermost core diameter (ca. 20 nm as indicated by arrows) has two layers it is rather straight and appears to be the primary nanotube. The outer carbon layers, with diameters ca. 3-4 nm, are quite uniformly stacked parallel to the central core with 0.35 nm spacing. From the difference in structure as well as the special features in the mechanical strength (as in Fig. 7) it might appear possible that the two intrinsically different types of material... 

In a study of dental silicate cements, Kent, Fletcher Wilson (1970) used electron probe analysis to study the fully set material. Their method of sample preparation varied slightly from the general one described above, in that they embedded their set cement in epoxy resin, polished the surface to flatness, and then coated it with a 2-nm carbon layer to provide electrical conductivity. They analysed the various areas of the cement for calcium, silicon, aluminium and phosphorus, and found that the cement comprised a matrix containing phosphorus, aluminium and calcium, but not silicon. The aluminosilicate glass was assumed to develop into a gel which was relatively depleted in calcium. 

In recent years, many types of double-layer capacitors have been built with porous or extremely rough carbon electrodes. Activated carbon or materials produced by carbonization and partial activation of textile cloth can be used for these purposes. At carbon materials, the specific capacity is on the order of 10 J,F/cm of trae surface area in the region of ideal polarizability. Activated carbons have specific surface areas attaining thousands of mVg. The double-layer capacity can thus attain several tens of farads per gram of electrode material at the surfaces of such carbons. 

Various other classes of catalysts have been investigated for NH3-SCR, in particular, metal-containing clays and layered materials [43 15] supported on active carbon [46] and micro- and meso-porous materials [31b,47,48], the latter also especially investigated for HC-SCR [25,3lb,48-53], However, while for NH3-SCR, either for stationary or mobile applications, the performances under practical conditions of alternative catalysts to V-W-oxides supported on titania do not justify their commercial use if not for special cases, the identification of a suitable catalyst, or combination of catalysts, for HC-SCR is still a matter of question. In general terms, supported noble metals are preferable for their low-temperature activity, centred typically 200°C. As commented before, low-temperature activity is a critical issue. However, supported noble metals have a quite limited temperature window of operation. 

For reentry heat shields, ablator materials are well proven. These materials typically consist of reinforced plastics with a density of 0.5 - 1.0 g/cm3. The high heat loads are consumed by the carbonization or sublimation of the ablator. The carbonized material cannot withstand very high aerodynamical loads. When the aerodynamic forces exceed a specific threshold value, the initial slight erosion on the carbonized layer intensifies until the whole layer splits of. This results in an exponential rise in ablation velocity for the unprotected ablator. 

The objective of most research in the area of pyrolyzed metal/N/C materials has centered around understanding the nature of the active site for the ORR. Similar to heat-treated macrocycles, there has been a parallel controversy over the nature of the active sites and the role of Fe or Co in these metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts. Based on the activity attainable from a wide-range of precursors, it seems safe to assume that above a certain temperature, the active site formed is the same regardless of the metal-nitrogen-carbon starting material (macrocycle or otherwise). Initially, some researchers believed that the metal clusters protected by a layer of carbon (which prevented leaching of the metal in the acidic electrolyte) were the source of catalytic... 

In the electrode construction, this anisotropic material can be cut either parallel to the basal benzenoid-like carbon planes formed by C/C covalent bonds (plane ab), or perpendicular to the carbon layers where the C/C bonds are van der Waals type (planes ac and be). 

In order to overcome these problems, hybridization of both materials (C and Si) in one electrode material by HTC seemed to be a promising option [75]. For this purpose, pre-formed silicon nanoparticles were dispersed into a dilute solution of glucose followed by hydrothermal treatment at 180 °C. The carbon-coated particles were then further treated at 750 °C in order to improve the conductivity and structural order of the carbon layer. It was shown that the hydrothermal treatment, following by high temperature carbonization, resulted in formation of a few nanometer thin layer of SiOx layer on the Si nanoparticles, effectively leading to a Si/SiOx/C nanocomposite. Some TEM micrographs of these materials are shown in Fig. 7.8. 

CNF is an industrially produced derivative of carbon formed by the decomposition and graphitization of rich organic carbon polymers (Fig. 14.3). The most common precursor is polyacrylonitrile (PAN), as it yields high tensile and compressive strength fibers that have high resistance to corrosion, creep and fatigue. For these reasons, the fibers are widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries [1], Carbon fiber is an important ingredient of carbon composite materials, which are used in fuel cell construction, particularly in gas-diffusion layers where the fibers are woven to form a type of carbon cloth. 

In another report, James and Kalinoski [4] performed an estimation of the costs for a direct hydrogen fuel cell system used in automotive applications. The assumed system consisted of an 80 kW system with four fuel cell stacks, each with 93 active cells this represents around 400 MEAs (i.e., 800 DLs) per system. The study was performed assuming that the DL material used for both the anode and cathode sides would be carbon fiber paper with an MPL. In fact, the cost estimate was based on SGL Carbon prices for its DLs with an approximate CEP value of around US 12 m for 500,000 systems per year. Based on this report, the overall value of the DLs (with MPL) is around US 42.98 per kilowatt (for current technology and 1,000 systems per year) and 3.27 per kilowatt (for 2015 technology and 500,000 systems per year). Figure 4.2 shows the cost component distribution for this 80 kW fuel cell system. In conclusion, the diffusion layer materials used for fuel cells not only have to comply with all the technical requirements that different fuel cell systems require, but also have to be cost effective. 

Along with CFPs, carbon cloths have also been widely used materials for diffusion layers in fuel cells. Figure 4.6 shows SEM pictures of typical carbon cloth materials used in fuel cells. The majority of these fabrics are made from PAN fibers that are twisted together in rolls. For details regarding how normal PAN fibers and carbon fibers are fabricated, please refer to Section 4.2.I.I. In this section, we will briefly discuss the fabrication process of carbon cloths. 

Table 4.2 shows the properties of carbon cloth materials that are commercially available and have been used as diffusion layers in fuel cells. 

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