Patents by Inventor Yunfeng Gu

Yunfeng Gu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090297923
    Abstract: A method of forming a sol-gel derived catalyst thin film on an electrolyte substrate includes forming a cathode precursor sol and/or composite cathode slurry, depositing the cathode precursor sol or slurry on the electrolyte and drying the deposited film to form a green film, and heating the green film to form a sol-gel derived catalyst thin film. An electrochemical cell such as a solid oxide fuel cell can include the sol-gel derived catalyst thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Inventors: Monika Backhaus-Ricoult, Yunfeng Gu
  • Publication number: 20090282983
    Abstract: Thin layers of a mixed composition are deposited on a porous substrate by chemical vapor deposition in an inert atmosphere at high temperature. The resulting membrane has excellent stability to water vapor at high temperatures. An exemplary membrane comprises an amorphous mixed-element surface layer comprising silica and at least one oxide of additional element, an optional porous substrate on which said surface layer is deposited, and a porous support on which said substrate or mixed-element surface layer is deposited, wherein the permeance of the membrane is higher than 1×10?7 mol m?2s?1Pa?1 and the selectivity of H2 over CO, CO2, and CH4 is larger than 100, and wherein the H2 permeance of the membrane after exposure to a stream containing 60 mol % water vapor at 673 K for 120 h is at least 50% of its initial H2 permeance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2009
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: S Ted Oyama, Yunfeng Gu
  • Publication number: 20090205500
    Abstract: The invention discloses a composition comprising a hybrid composite organic-inorganic membrane. The hybrid organic-inorganic membrane according to the present invention may comprise an amorphous porous layer incorporating organic functionalities. The amorphous porous layer may be deposited on a porous alumina substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The amorphous porous layer may comprise a single top-layer (STL), multiple top-layers (MTL) or mixed top-layers (XTL). The substrate may comprise a single layer or multiple graded layers of alumina.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Inventors: Shigeo Ted Oyama, Yunfeng Gu, Joe D. Allison, Garry C. Gunter, Scott A. Scholten
  • Publication number: 20090107330
    Abstract: An amorphous silica hybrid membrane structure comprising a monolithic inorganic porous support, optionally one or more porous inorganic intermediate layers, and an amorphous silica membrane. The amorphous silica hybrid membrane is useful for gas separation applications, for example H2 purification and CO2 capture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventor: Yunfeng Gu
  • Publication number: 20080299377
    Abstract: Methods for preparing porous inorganic coatings on porous supports using certain pore formers, and porous supports coated with porous inorganic coatings. The porous inorganic coatings may serve as membranes useful in, for example, liquid-liquid, liquid-particulate, gas-gas, or gas-particulate separation applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Yunfeng Gu, Wei Liu, Todd P. St. Clair, Jianguo Wang
  • Publication number: 20080299349
    Abstract: Methods for preparing porous inorganic coatings on porous supports using certain pore fillers, and porous supports coated with porous inorganic coatings. The porous inorganic coatings may serve as membranes useful in, for example, liquid-liquid, liquid-particulate, gas-gas, or gas-particulate separation applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Yunfeng Gu, Wei Liu, Jianguo Wang
  • Publication number: 20070251388
    Abstract: Thin layers of a mixed composition are deposited on a porous substrate by chemical vapor deposition in an inert atmosphere at high temperature. The resulting membrane has excellent stability to water vapor at high temperatures. An exemplary membrane comprises an amorphous mixed-element surface layer comprising silica and at least one oxide of additional element, an optional porous substrate on which said surface layer is deposited, and a porous support on which said substrate or mixed-element surface layer is deposited, wherein the permeance of the membrane is higher than 1×10?7 mol m?2 s?1 Pa?1 and the selectivity of H2 over CO, CO2, and CH4 is larger than 100, and wherein the H2 permeance of the membrane after exposure to a stream containing 60 mol % water vapor at 673 K for 120 h is at least 50% of its initial H2 permeance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2006
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Applicant: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Inventors: S. Oyama, Yunfeng Gu
  • Patent number: 7179325
    Abstract: A hydrogen permselective membrane, a method of forming a permselective membrane and an apparatus comprising a permselective membrane, a porous substrate and an intermediate layer are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeo Ted Oyama, Yunfeng Gu, Doohwan Lee
  • Publication number: 20050172811
    Abstract: A hydrogen permselective membrane, a method of forming a permselective membrane and an apparatus comprising a permselective membrane, a porous substrate and an intermediate layer are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Applicants: ConocoPhillips Company, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Inventors: Shigeo Oyama, Yunfeng Gu, Doohwan Lee