Abstract: A liquid fuel battery is described, having a vented case, an internal fuel chamber, and a plurality of substantially planar vertically stacked battery elements having separated fuel-sides and air sides. Such sides are separated by a series of anodic and cathodic seals. In one embodiment, a cathode contains doped carbon nanofibers and may be treated with polytetrafluoroethylene or another hydrophobic material. An anode current collector and/or cathode current collector may contain perforated metal, including metal mesh. Battery elements may be U-shaped to maximize the efficiency of the air-fuel interaction. The cathode is active for oxygen reduction and inactive for fuel oxidation.

Abstract: A method of forming boron nitride nanoparticles. A plurality of precursor molecules comprising boron, nitrogen and hydrogen may be decomposed in a first heating zone to form a plurality of gaseous molecules that contain bonded boron and nitrogen, followed by heating to a second, higher temperature thereby causing the gaseous molecules to react and nucleate to form a plurality of boron nitride nanoparticles. Depending on processing temperatures, the boron nitride nanoparticles may include amorphous forms, crystalline forms, or combinations thereof. Precursor molecules may include ammonia borane, borazine, cycloborazanes, polyaminoborane, polyiminoborane, and mixtures thereof. The boron nitride nanoparticles may be incorporated into a variety of dispersions, composites, and coatings; and in one embodiment, may be a component of a propellant, wherein the boron nitride nanoparticles may confer a range of advantages to gun barrels in which such propellants may be fired.

Abstract: A method for making a doped carbon bifunctional electrode capable of facilitating the oxygen reduction reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction that is not susceptible to performance degradation when operated bi-functionally for oxygen reduction and evolution. In one embodiment, a doped carbon catalyst is prepared by mixing a metal precursor with a high surface area support, impregnated with at least one organic phosphorus and/or organic nitrogen compound, and then pyrolyzed at high temperature under an inert or reducing atmosphere containing volatile carbon and/or nitrogen species. The doped-carbon catalyst may be coated on a conductive porous support and dispersed as an ink infiltrated into a porous conductive support. In another embodiment, a catalyst precursor, such as an iron salt and/or cobalt salt solution mixed with a binder, such as cellulosic binder, is infiltrated into a porous support, and pyrolized such that carbon catalyst fibers are anchored directly on the support.