Patents by Inventor Horia Metiu

Horia Metiu 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).

  • Patent number: 11814285
    Abstract: The reaction rate of hydrocarbon pyrolysis can be increased to produce solid carbon and hydrogen by the use of molten materials which have catalytic functionality to increase the rate of reaction and physical properties that facilitate the formation and contamination-free separation of the solid carbon. Processes, materials, reactor configurations, and conditions are disclosed whereby methane and other hydrocarbons can be decomposed at high reaction rates into hydrogen gas and carbon products without any carbon oxides in a single reaction step. The process also makes use of specific properties of selected materials with unique solubilities and/or wettability of products into (and/or by) the molten phase to facilitate generation of purified products and increased conversion in more general reactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Eric W. McFarland, Ches Upham, Jiren Zeng, Clarke Palmer, Shizhao Su, Davide Mannini, Dohyung Kang, Nazanin Rahimi, Horia Metiu, Michael Gordon
  • Publication number: 20210061654
    Abstract: A reaction process comprises feeding a feed stream comprising a hydrocarbon into a vessel, reacting the feed stream in the vessel, producing solid carbon and a gas phase product based on the contacting of the feed stream with the molten salt mixture, separating the gas phase product from the molten salt mixture, and separating the solid carbon from the molten salt mixture to produce a solid carbon product. The vessel comprises a molten salt mixture, and the molten salt mixture comprises a reactive component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Eric W. McFarland, Ches Upham, Clarke Palmer, Shizhao Su, Davide Mannini, Nazanin Rahimi, Dohyung Kang, Horia Metiu, Michael Gordon
  • Publication number: 20200283293
    Abstract: The reaction rate of hydrocarbon pyrolysis can be increased to produce solid carbon and hydrogen by the use of molten materials which have catalytic functionality to increase the rate of reaction and physical properties that facilitate the formation and contamination-free separation of the solid carbon. Processes, materials, reactor configurations, and conditions are disclosed whereby methane and other hydrocarbons can be decomposed at high reaction rates into hydrogen gas and carbon products without any carbon oxides in a single reaction step. The process also makes use of specific properties of selected materials with unique solubilities and/or wettability of products into (and/or by) the molten phase to facilitate generation of purified products and increased conversion in more general reactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Eric W. McFarland, Ches Upham, Jiren Zeng, Clarke Palmer, Shizhao Su, Davide Mannini, Dohyung Kang, Nazanin Rahimi, Horia Metiu, Michael Gordon
  • Publication number: 20090004550
    Abstract: An electrochemical device, such as a fuel cell, and method of forming it, in which electrodes, such as anode and cathode, are disposed on a semipermeable or permeable membrane having ion conduction channels. Electrocatalyst is deposited on locations on the electrodes limited to and corresponding to the ion conduction channels. In a first embodiment, anode and cathode electrodes sandwich the membrane, a counter electrode is connected to one of the electrodes, electrolyte containing an electrochemical precursor to the electrocatalyst is applied to the other electrode whereby, upon applying current to the counter electrode, electrocatalyst is deposited on locations on the first electrode corresponding to the ion conduction channels. The process is repeated with the counter electrode connected on the other electrode of the cell. In a second embodiment, a combination of a first electrode and a first membrane is assembled as is a combination of a second electrode and a second membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Eric W. McFarland, Horia Metiu, Steven K. Burotto, Asanga Devinda Ranasinghe