Active catalysts synthesized by hydrothermal methods
Methods for synthesis of active M-N—C catalysts utilizing thermo-chemical synthesis of chemically defined precursors and materials made thereby.
1. A method for forming a porous catalytic material comprising combining a porosity creating agent, a doping agent, a catalytic material precursor, and a carbon precursor to form a reaction mixture; wherein the porosity creating agent or the catalytic material precursor comprises an iron salt; subjecting the reaction mixture to conditions wherein the porosity creating agent forms particles around which a carbonaceous material is formed and then sublimates to produce a porous graphitic carbon material doped with gamma iron having a pore size distribution of between 2 and 200 nm.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the porosity creating agent is a volatile metal which evaporates below 950° C.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the doping agent is a nitrogen precursor and the catalytic material precursor is a precursor of a transition metal.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the catalytic material is iron.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the porosity creating agent is selected from the group consisting of zinc, sodium, and potassium.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the porosity creating agent is zinc.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising heat treating an isolated carbonized product.
8. The material formed by the method of claim 1 .
9. A porous graphitic carbon catalytic material doped with gamma iron, wherein the material has a pore size distribution of between 2 and 200 nm.