| Porous materials have gained attraction owing to their vast applications in catalysts, sensors, energy storage devices, bio-devices and other areas. To date, various porous materials were synthesized through soft and hard templating approaches. However, a general synthesis method for porous non-oxide materials, metal alloys and semiconductors with tunable structure, composition and morphology has not been developed yet. To address this challenge, this thesis presents an aerosol method towards the synthesis of such materials and their applications for catalysis, hydrogen storage, Li-batteries and photo-catalysis.;The first part of this thesis presents the synthesis of porous metals, metal oxides, and semiconductors with controlled pore structure, crystalline structure and morphology. In these synthesis processes, metal salts and organic ligands were employed as precursors to create porous metal-carbon frameworks. During the aerosol process, primary metal clusters and nanoparticles were formed, which were coagulated/ aggregated forming the porous particles. Various porous particles, such as those of metals (e.g., Ni, Pt, Co, Fe, and Ni xPt(1-x)), metal oxides (e.g., Fe3O4 and SnO2) and semiconductors (e.g., CdS, CuInS2, CuInS 2x-ZnS(1-x), and CuInS2x-TiO2(1-x)) were synthesized. The morphology, porous structure and crystalline structure of the particles were regulated through both templating and non-templating methods.;The second part of this thesis explores the applications of these materials, including propylene hydrogenation and H2 uptake capacity of porous Ni, NiPt alloys and Ni-Pt composites, Li-storage of Fe3O4 and SnO2, photodegradation of CuInS2-based semiconductors. The effects of morphology, compositions, and porous structure on the device performance were systematically investigated.;Overall, this dissertation work unveiled a simple synthesis approach for porous particles of metals, metal alloys, metal oxides, and semiconductors with controlled compositions and structures for broad spectrum of applications. |
