Application-Driven Fine Particle Solutions M. Oljaca, P. Atanassova, J. P. Shen, S. Haubrich, M. Hampden Smith, and T. Kodas Cabot Corporation, Albuquerque, NM, USA, miki_oljaca@cabot-corp.com ABSTRACT Working closely with end-users and partners, Cabot SMP is developing solutions and manufacturing fine particle products for energy materials, electronics, displays, and other applications. In this manuscript, we address the importance of understanding the applications requirements and provide selected examples of application-driven particle manufacturing and processing. The implementation of fine particle solution for catalysis and development of dispersions and formulations for electronics and other applications will be discussed. This paper will focus on development of revolutionary sorbent materials for absorption-enhanced natural gas reforming for production of high purity hydrogen. The advantages of CSMP spray-based manufacturing method to produce advanced CaO-based reversible CO 2 sorbent powders will be described. The sorbent materials produced using CMSP’s manufacturing method have been formed as extrudates and shown greatly improved durability, retaining high CO 2 absorption capacity and carbonation/de-carbonation kinetics through multiple cycles required for a commercial application. The presentation will also discuss the manufacturing challenges associated with production and processing of engineered ultra-fine particles for applications in electronics, lighting, and displays. In particular, special attention to the development of conductor type materials for inkjet processes for these applications will be addressed. Keywords: engineered particles, spray, aerosol, sorbents, catalysts. 1 INTRODUCTION The continuous push for performance enhancement in important existing and emerging applications has generated substantial interest in engineered fine particles. There are many examples of the improved optical, electronic, and physical properties achieved by controlling the morphology, composition and surface functionality of fine particles. To realize fully the broad benefits of fine particle solutions, it is necessary to implement an application-based approach to solving R&D problems and implementing commercially viable solutions. Some of the conventional particles manufacturing methods often have limited capability to provide control over various particle properties which are needed to satisfy increasingly stringent application requirements. For example, the conventional manufacturing methods for producing sorbent powders are liquid precipitation and impregnation, followed by forming of the powders into extrudates or monoliths. Typically targeted properties for these materials are high surface area and desired pore size distribution with precise control over the porosity, crystalline phases, surface composition, impurities and dispersion of the active phase. Such control is often difficult to achieve simultaneously for various properties due to limitations in the liquid precipitation processes. CSMP has developed a patented spray-based powder-manufacturing platform that is capable of producing a wide variety of sorbent materials with unique microstructures combined with economic suitability for high volume manufacturing. The uniqueness of the spray-based method to construct specific microstructures and compositions derives from the sequential application of liquid phase and solid-state chemistries that can be resolved by both temperature and time. A key feature of the process is that the physical (surface area. porosity, dispersion) and/or chemical (composition, phase) evolution of the particles can be arrested at any stage by quenching the reaction media. The fact that this process can involve a relatively high processing temperature for a relatively short amount of time while maintaining control over the particle size is valuable for the formation of complex composition materials such as mixed metal oxide sorbents. 2 REVOLUTIONARY SORBENT MATERIALS FOR NATURAL GAS REFORMING The conventional methods for natural gas reforming for this application, steam methane reforming (SMR) and autothermal reforming (ATR) lead to relatively low hydrogen content gas streams. The fuel feeds are highly contaminated by CO and CO 2 and require extensive purification prior the delivery to a fuel cell stack. 1-3 Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a method of natural gas reforming in which a high concentration, high purity H 2 stream is produced. This can be achieved by an absorption enhanced reforming (AER) process (Reaction 4) that combines SMR (Reaction 1), the WGS (Reaction 2), and CO 2 sorption (Reaction 3) to produce a synthesis gas with relatively high hydrogen purity and low CO 2 and CO content. The potential benefits are well known and have been the subject of a number of studies. 4-6 (Reaction 1) CH 4 +H 2 O  3H 2 + CO (Reaction 2) CO + H 2 O  H 2 + CO 2 (Reaction 3) CaO + CO 2  CaCO 3 (Reaction 4) CaO + CH 4 + 2H 2 O  4H 2 + CaCO 3 Figure 1 illustrates the degree to which the CO 2 sorption shifts the chemical equilibrium to the product side. At 600 o C in the presence of a CO 2 sorbent, AER can achieve at least 98% conversion to H 2 as compared to only 75 % conversion according to thermodynamic calculations under normal conditions of SMR or ATR. To achieve a similar NSTI-Nanotech 2005, www.nsti.org, ISBN 0-9767985-1-4 Vol. 2, 2005 736