Abstract: A method of: placing a mixture of zinc particles; water; a water-soluble thickener; and water-insoluble inorganic porogen particles into a mold; evaporating the water to form a monolith; heating the monolith to fuse the zinc particles together; and submerging the monolith in a liquid that removes the porogen particles. A method of: placing a mixture of zinc particles; an aqueous acetic acid solution; and porogen particles into a mold; evaporating water to form a monolith; and submerging the monolith in a liquid that removes the porogen particles.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of decontamination by exposing a zirconium oxy(hydroxide) aerogel to a liquid, vapor, or gaseous sample suspected of containing a phosphonate compound. The aerogel may be doped with Fe3+ ions, Ce3+ ions, or SO42? ions. The aerogel may be made by: providing a solution of ZrCl4; FeCl3, CeCl3, or Zr(SO4)2; and a solvent; adding a cyclic ether to the solution to form a gel; infiltrating the gel with liquid carbon dioxide; applying a temperature and pressure to form supercritical fluid carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide for form an aerogel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of decontamination by exposing a zirconium oxy(hydroxide) aerogel to a liquid, vapor, or gaseous sample suspected of containing a phosphonate compound. The aerogel may be doped with Fe3+ ions, Ce3+ ions, or SO42? ions. The aerogel may be made by: providing a solution of ZrCl4; FeCl3, CeCl3, or Zr(SO4)2; and a solvent; adding a cyclic ether to the solution to form a gel; infiltrating the gel with liquid carbon dioxide; applying a temperature and pressure to form supercritical fluid carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide for form an aerogel.

Abstract: A zinc-air battery having: a cathode, an anode, an electrolyte, a separator between the anode and the cathode, and a housing. The cathode includes: a cathode current collector and a composite having a porous carbon material, a porous cryptomelane-type MnOx material, a porous NiyFe1-yOx material, and a binder. The anode includes: a continuous network having metallic zinc and having metallic zinc bridges connecting metallic zinc particle cores and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The electrolyte fills the void space in the anode, is in contact with the cathode, and permeates the composite without completely filling or obstructing a majority of the pores. The housing encloses the anode, the cathode, and the separator and exposes the composite to ambient air.

Abstract: A composition having a gadolinium-, samarium-, or lanthanum-substituted porous cerium oxide and copper or gold nanoparticles. The composition can be exposed to electromagnetic radiation to form reactive oxygen species in the composition to decompose organophosphonate compounds. The composition may be made by forming a mixture of a cerium salt; a gadolinium, samarium, or lanthanum salt; and an epoxide; forming gel from the mixture; and drying the gel to form an aerogel, a xerogel, or an ambigel. Copper or gold nanoparticles are added or formed at any point in the method.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of decontamination by exposing a zirconium oxy(hydroxide) aerogel to a liquid, vapor, or gaseous sample suspected of containing a phosphonate compound. The aerogel may be doped with Fe3+ ions, Ce3+ ions, or SO42? ions. The aerogel may be made by: providing a solution of ZrCl4; FeCl3, CeCl3, or Zr(SO4)2; and a solvent; adding a cyclic ether to the solution to form a gel; infiltrating the gel with liquid carbon dioxide; applying a temperature and pressure to form supercritical fluid carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide for form an aerogel.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

Abstract: An article having a continuous network of zinc and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The zinc network is a fused, monolithic structure. A method of: providing an emulsion having a zinc powder and a liquid phase; drying the emulsion to form a sponge; annealing and/or sintering the sponge to form an annealed and/or sintered sponge; heating the annealed and/or sintered sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxidized sponge having zinc oxide on the surface of the oxidized sponge; and electrochemically reducing the zinc oxide to form a zinc metal sponge.

Abstract: An article having a continuous network of zinc and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The zinc network is a fused, monolithic structure. A method of: providing an emulsion having a zinc powder and a liquid phase; drying the emulsion to form a sponge; annealing and/or sintering the sponge to form an annealed and/or sintered sponge; heating the annealed and/or sintered sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxidized sponge having zinc oxide on the surface of the oxidized sponge; and electrochemically reducing the zinc oxide to form a zinc metal sponge.

Abstract: An article having a continuous network of zinc and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The zinc network is a fused, monolithic structure. A method of: providing an emulsion having a zinc powder and a liquid phase; drying the emulsion to form a sponge; annealing and/or sintering the sponge to form an annealed and/or sintered sponge; heating the annealed and/or sintered sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxidized sponge having zinc oxide on the surface of the oxidized sponge; and electrochemically reducing the zinc oxide to form a zinc metal sponge.

Abstract: A laminated article having a first layer and a second layer. Each layer has a porous carbon structure and a porous polymer. The pores of the two porous polymers are from 1 nanometer to 10 microns in diameter, and the two porous polymers have different pore size distributions. A method of making the laminated article by hot-pressing the two or more layers. The article may be used in an electrochemical cell.

Abstract: An article having a titanium, titanium carbide, titanium nitride, tantalum, aluminum, silicon, or stainless steel substrate, a RuO2 coating on a portion of the substrate; and a plurality of platinum nanoparticles on the RuO2 coating. The RuO2 coating contains nanoparticles of RuO2. A method of: immersing the substrate in a solution of RuO4 and a nonpolar solvent at a temperature that is below the temperature at which RuO4 decomposes to RuO2 in the nonpolar solvent in the presence of the article; warming the article and solution to ambient temperature under ambient conditions to cause the formation of a RuO2 coating on a portion of the article; and electrodepositing platinum nanoparticles on the RuO2 coating.

Abstract: A composite having an electrically conductive substrate and a polymer derived from a vinyl-containing siloxane monomer coating on the substrate. A method of electropolymerizing a vinyl-containing siloxane monomer to form a coating on an electrically conductive substrate.

Abstract: A zinc-air battery having: a cathode, an anode, an electrolyte, a separator between the anode and the cathode, and a housing. The cathode includes: a cathode current collector and a composite having a porous carbon material, a porous cryptomelane-type MnOx material, a porous NiyFe1-yOx material, and a binder. The anode includes: a continuous network having metallic zinc and having metallic zinc bridges connecting metallic zinc particle cores and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The electrolyte fills the void space in the anode, is in contact with the cathode, and permeates the composite without completely filling or obstructing a majority of the pores. The housing encloses the anode, the cathode, and the separator and exposes the composite to ambient air.

Abstract: A high-surface-area, highly porous manganese oxide (MnOx) in the form of xerogel or aerogel monoliths or powders comprising a manganese oxide nanoarchitecture comprising an interior surface area >200 m2 g?1, wherein the MnOx gel has a void structure comprising pores that are sized from 2-150 nm, and wherein the manganese oxide nanoarchitecture removes toxic gas from a toxic gas and air mixture at room temperature via an oxidative mechanism that converts the toxic gas to an innocuous adsorbed substance. These high-surface-area, ultraporous manganese oxide (MnOx) xerogels and aerogels exhibit outstanding filtration performance for multiple, chemically distinct toxic gases, including ammonia, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. These MnOx materials use multiple mechanisms for small molecule capture/catalysis including molecular sieving and oxidative decomposition, and function in a wide range of humidity conditions.

Abstract: High-surface-area, ultraporous manganese oxide (MnOx) xerogels and aerogels exhibit outstanding filtration performance for multiple, chemically distinct toxic gases, including ammonia, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. These MnOx materials use multiple mechanisms for small molecule capture/catalysis including molecular sieving and oxidative decomposition, and function in a wide range of humidity conditions.

Abstract: An article having a continuous network of zinc and a continuous network of void space interpenetrating the zinc network. The zinc network is a fused, monolithic structure. A method of: providing an emulsion having a zinc powder and a liquid phase; drying the emulsion to form a sponge; sintering the sponge to form a sintered sponge; heating the sintered sponge in an oxidizing atmosphere to form an oxidized sponge having zinc oxide on the surface of the oxidized sponge; and electrochemically reducing the zinc oxide to form a zinc metal sponge.