Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Multiscale Porous Materials

Sammanfattning: This thesis work brings fresh insights and improved understanding of nanoscale materials through introducing new hybrid composites, 2D hexagonal in MCM-41 and 3D random interconnected structures of different materials, and application relevance for developing fields of science, such as fuel cells and solar cells.New types of porous materials and organometallic crystals have been prepared and characterized in detail. The porous materials have been used in several studies: as hosts to encapsulate metal-organic complexes; as catalyst supports and electrode materials in devices for alternative energy production. The utility of the new porous materials arises from their unique structural and surface chemical characteristics as demonstrated here using various experimental and theoretical approaches.New single crystal structures and arene-ligand exchange properties of f-block elements coordinated to ligand arene and halogallates are described in Paper I. These compounds have been incorporated into ordered 2D-hexagonal MCM-41 and polyhedral silica nanofoam (PNF-SiO2) matrices without significant change to the original porous architectures as described in Paper II and III. The resulting inorganic/organic hybrids exhibited enhanced luminescence activity relative to the pure crystalline complexes.A series of novel polyhedral carbon nanofoams (PNF-C´s) and inverse foams were prepared by nanocasting from PNF-SiO2’s. These are discussed in Paper IV. The synthesis conditions of PNF-C’s were systematically varied as a function of the filling ratio of carbon precursor and their structures compared using various characterization methods. The carbonaceous porous materials were further tested in Paper V and VI as possible catalysts and catalyst supports in counter- and working electrodes for solar- and fuel cell applications.