Abstract: Halogenated cyclic diesters, halogenated polymers derived from the cyclic diesters, and methods for making the halogenated cyclic diesters and related halogenated polymers.

Abstract: The current disclosure is directed to a hydrogen-storage system that employs catalytic dehydrogenation of low-molecular-weight amines in a hydrogen reactor. The hydrogen-storage system comprises aliphatic amines and di-amines as organic carriers that store hydrogen covalently, a hydrogen reactor that releases and separates hydrogen gas from the carrier, and metal or metal-oxide catalysts that promote a dehydrogenation reaction to release hydrogen. In certain implementations, a metal or metal-oxide catalyst may be carried on high-surface-area support materials, such as gamma-alumina and metal-organic-framework materials, to enhance catalytic properties. The hydrogen reactor may be a packed-bed reactor, a monolith reactor, or a flow-through hydrogen-membrane reactor.

Abstract: Halogenated cyclic diesters, halogenated polymers derived from the cyclic diesters, and methods for making the halogenated cyclic diesters and related halogenated polymers.

Abstract: There is disclosed a surprising reaction of an alkane thiol with a catalyst and heat to become dehydrogenated and form a thiophene rather than an expected desulfurization reaction to form the corresponding alkane or alkene. Moreover, there are disclosed surprising results regarding the form of a catalyst to allow a reaction of an alkane thiol to form the dehydrogenated thiophene at lower temperatures and at higher conversion percentages to allow for more efficient recovery of thiophenes to allow for recycling and reuse of thiophenes to hydrogenate to form alkane thiols. Further still, there is disclosed a set of reaction conditions and catalyst presentation that allows for recovery of usable diatomic hydrogen gas from a dehydrogenation reaction of substituted or unsubstituted cyclic thioethers to substituted or unsubstituted thiophene.

Abstract: The current document is directed to processes for producing improved porous catalysts for the dehydrogenation of organic compounds. In one implementation, the process comprises providing a powder of metal particles, sieving the powder using vibrating-screen sieves, aligning metal particles collected from sieving under an external magnetic field, partially sintering the aligned metal particles to form a solid matrix by heating the aligned metal particles in a furnace or microwave oven, or heating the aligned metal particles using a laser sintering process with a controlled amount of external heat, to a temperature below the melting point of the metal powder, and oxidizing the matrix to produce the porous catalyst. The catalysts produced by the disclosed methods have a porous body with increased surface area, can assume various microstructures, and consist essentially of metal oxides.

Abstract: The current document is directed to processes for producing improved porous catalysts for the dehydrogenation of organic compounds. In one implementation, the process comprises providing a powder of metal particles, sieving the powder using vibrating-screen sieves, aligning metal particles collected from sieving under an external magnetic field, partially sintering the aligned metal particles to form a solid matrix by heating the aligned metal particles in a furnace or microwave oven, or heating the aligned metal particles using a laser sintering process with a controlled amount of external heat, to a temperature below the melting point of the metal powder, and oxidizing the matrix to produce the porous catalyst. The catalysts produced by the disclosed methods have a porous body with increased surface area, can assume various microstructures, and consist essentially of metal oxides.

Abstract: The current disclosure is directed to a hydrogen-storage system that employs catalytic dehydrogenation of low-molecular-weight amines in a hydrogen reactor. The hydrogen-storage system comprises aliphatic amines and di-amines as organic carriers that store hydrogen covalently, a hydrogen reactor that releases and separates hydrogen gas from the carrier, and metal or metal-oxide catalysts that promote a dehydrogenation reaction to release hydrogen. In certain implementations, a metal or metal-oxide catalyst may be carried on high-surface-area support materials, such as gamma-alumina and metal-organic-framework materials, to enhance catalytic properties. The hydrogen reactor may be a packed-bed reactor, a monolith reactor, or a flow-through hydrogen-membrane reactor.

Abstract: The current application discloses a method for producing a porous catalyst, the method comprising providing a powder of metal particles with a specific size; mixing into the powder of metal particles spacer spheres with a fixed diameter less than that of the metal particles; placing the metal-particle/spacing-sphere mixture in a ceramic container; heating the mixture in an oven, furnace or microwave oven to sinter the metal particles and fuse them to a solid matrix; and removing the spacing spheres either by solvolysis or pyrolysis.

Abstract: The current application is directed to a packed-bed reactor comprising a housing; and section portions contained within the housing, each comprising a spiral-wound heater. The spiral-wound heaters together comprise a catalyst-disk stack.

Abstract: In one example disclosed in the current application, by supplying just enough heat to the channel walls to replace the reaction heat removed during the reaction, a reactor exhibits tighter temperature tolerances with respect to the desired reaction temperature. In other words, the surface temperature can be more closely matched to the desired reaction temperature. Also, having a design where the channels can be scaled in both geometry and number allows control of the rate of mass transport through the channels to minimize unwanted side reactions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a surprising reaction of an alkane thiol with a catalyst and heat to become dehydrogenated and form a thiophene rather than an expected desulfurization reaction to form the corresponding alkane or alkene. Moreover, there are disclosed surprising results regarding the form of a catalyst to allow a reaction of an alkane thiol to form the dehydrogenated thiophene at lower temperatures and at higher conversion percentages to allow for more efficient recovery of thiophenes to allow for recycling and reuse of thiophenes to hydrogenate to form alkane thiols. Further still, there is disclosed a set of reaction conditions and catalyst presentation that allows for recovery of usable diatomic hydrogen gas from a dehydrogenation reaction of substituted or unsubstituted cyclic thioethers to substituted or unsubstituted thiophene.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for hydrogen release and chemical storage by dehydrogenating low molecular weight aliphatic amines and di-amines to produce their corresponding nitriles in a reactor system containing a hydrogen fractionation membrane (or sweep gas) to quickly remove any and all hydrogen generated during the dehydrogenation reaction. This disclosure further provides a process for hydrogen recovery using bi- and tri-functional amines that produce corresponding nitriles and high density hydrogen release.

Abstract: The present invention relates to hydrogen production for the generation of energy. The invention describes methods, devices and assemblies involving hydrogen production including reacting hydrogen producing compounds, such as organothiol compounds, with a reactive metal substrate to produce hydrogen gas and utilizing the hydrogen gas to generate energy. The present invention further describes regenerating spent compound to a form suitable for hydrogen production by reacting the spent compound with hydrogen. Hydrogen storage and production, as described herein, is useful for producing hydrogen for energy production in hydrogen consuming devices, such as combustible engines and fuel cells, for example, as located on a hydrogen powered vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to hydrogen production for the generation of energy. The invention describes methods, devices and assemblies involving hydrogen production including reacting hydrogen producing compounds, such as organothiol compounds, with a reactive metal substrate to produce hydrogen gas and utilizing the hydrogen gas to generate energy. The present invention further describes regenerating spent compound to a form suitable for hydrogen production by reacting the spent compound with hydrogen. Hydrogen storage and production, as described herein, is useful for producing hydrogen for energy production in hydrogen consuming devices, such as combustible engines and fuel cells, for example, as located on a hydrogen powered vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to hydrogen production for the generation of energy. The invention describes methods, devices and assemblies involving hydrogen production including reacting hydrogen producing compounds, such as organothiol compounds, with a reactive metal substrate to produce hydrogen gas and utilizing the hydrogen gas to generate energy. The present invention further describes regenerating spent compound to a form suitable for hydrogen production by reacting the spent compound with hydrogen. Hydrogen storage and production, as described herein, is useful for producing hydrogen for energy production in hydrogen consuming devices, such as combustible engines and fuel cells, for example, as located on a hydrogen powered vehicle.