Binary ZnY porous materials through integrated high-throughput approach

Abstract

Porous materials, characterized by their important applications in catalysis, energy storage, and conversion, are predominantly derived from binary alloy systems due to the compositional complexity and the limited availability of phase diagrams for multi-component alloys. In this work, supergravity-induced solidification, a high-throughput approach, is employed to construct ternary MgZnY combinatorial libraries in a near-equilibrium state. This method utilizes the differences in densities and melting points among metal phases, where denser phases with higher melting points solidify and migrate towards the bottom, while lighter phases precipitate successively as the temperature decreases, resulting in samples with compositional and structural gradients along the centrifugal direction. Subsequently, a high-throughput vapor phase dealloying technique is developed based on the above bulk gradient samples, selectively volatilizing elements with high saturated vapor pressures and leaving behind residual elements that evolve into porous structures. Through the integrated high-throughput approach, we have successfully identified multiple precursor alloys capable of constructing intermetallic nanoporous Zn2Y1 (atomic percentage, at.%) with diverse morphologies. Furthermore, we have meticulously fabricated several alloys using the aforementioned high-throughput techniques. These alloys demonstrate consistent nanoporous compositions, underscoring the efficacy of our high-throughput approaches. This integrated high-throughput method significantly simplifies the exploration and development of porous materials, offering an innovative route to exploit the capabilities of multi-component alloy systems in a broad range of applications.