Chemistry Commons^™

Alumina-Based Aerogels By Rapid Supercritical Extraction For Use In Green Automotive Catalysis, Nicholas J. Dunn

Honors Theses

Aerogels are highly porous solids with low bulk density, high specific surface area, high thermal stability and tunable chemical composition. These properties make aerogels interesting for use as catalysts in automotive exhaust remediation. Noble metals such as platinum are currently used for this function, but are costly and harmful to the environment. Aerogels offer a potential alternative to noble metals that could reduce both the cost and environmental impact associated with catalytic converter production. Alumina and nickel-alumina aerogels have shown activity in catalyzing exhaust processing reactions. The environmental impact of the production of aerogel catalysts could be further reduced by …