Carrier-Supported Metal Composites via Low-Temperature Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid phase reduction methods for producing metal composites on carriers require high-temperature, long-time treatments, leading to increased economic and time costs, and use highly reactive reducing agents that pose safety hazards, while mild reducing agents like alcohol compounds require lengthy high-temperature treatments.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a liquid phase mixture with an alcohol compound and phosphinic acid or its salt, which cooperate to reduce metal cations at low temperatures, supporting metal simple substances or oxides on carriers, such as carbon or metal oxides, using a low-temperature reduction process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If highly reactive reducing agents (N2H4, NaBH4) are used in liquid phase reduction method, then reduction efficiency is improved, but safety deteriorates due to difficulty in handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces persistent, highly reactive reducing agents with alcohol compounds that are safer, easier to handle, and can be used in ambient conditions. The alcohol acts as a mild, controllable reducing agent that eliminates safety hazards while maintaining reduction functionality.
2Ease of operation
If alcohol compound is used as reducing agent, then ease of operation is improved, but treatment time increases due to requirement of long-time high-temperature treatment over 100°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high-temperature (>100°C) to low-temperature (ambient or mild heating) conditions by introducing phosphinic acid or its salts as a catalyst. This parameter change enables alcohol compounds to function as effective reducing agents without requiring prolonged high-temperature treatment, thus reducing both time and energy costs.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If alcohol compound is used as reducing agent, then safety is improved, but economic cost increases due to long-time high-temperature treatment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high-temperature (>100°C) to low-temperature (ambient or mild heating) conditions by introducing phosphinic acid or its salts. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive high-temperature treatment while maintaining safety benefits of using alcohol compounds, thus reducing economic costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of composites at lower temperatures with a reducing agent that is easy to handle, reducing safety risks and economic costs while maintaining effective reduction and dispersion of metal particles on carriers.
Implementation Method 1
a reduction step of reducing the cations in the liquid phase mixture
Implementation Method 2
The metal ions in the liquid phase mixture are reduced by the reducing agent, and the reduced metal ions are precipitated as a metal simple substance or a metal oxide on the carrier
Implementation Method 3
heating the liquid phase mixture to precipitate the support on the carrier
Data Source
AI summary
A technique may produce a composite at a low temperature by a reducing agent that is easy to handle. A technique may produce a composite in which a metal simple substance or a metal oxide derived from reduced cations, or both of them are supported on a carrier. The technique may include at least: preparing a liquid phase mixture containing at least an alcohol compound as a first reducing agent, a phosphinic acid or a salt thereof as a second reducing agent, the carrier, and a source compound of one or more cations selected including Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, Rh, Ru, Re, Pd, and/or Ir; and reducing the cations in the liquid phase mixture.