Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition

Abstract Electrified thermal chemical synthesis plays a critical role in reducing energy consumption and enabling the industrial decarbonization. While Joule heating offers a promising alternative to gas‐burning furnace systems by directly heating substrates via renewable energy supply, most approac...

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Main Authors: Paul Smith, Jiachun Wu, Anthony Griffin, Kaleb Jones, Jeff Aguinaga, Ethan Bounds, Derek Patton, Yizhi Xiang, Zhe Qiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Advanced Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202413149
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author Paul Smith
Jiachun Wu
Anthony Griffin
Kaleb Jones
Jeff Aguinaga
Ethan Bounds
Derek Patton
Yizhi Xiang
Zhe Qiang
author_facet Paul Smith
Jiachun Wu
Anthony Griffin
Kaleb Jones
Jeff Aguinaga
Ethan Bounds
Derek Patton
Yizhi Xiang
Zhe Qiang
author_sort Paul Smith
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Electrified thermal chemical synthesis plays a critical role in reducing energy consumption and enabling the industrial decarbonization. While Joule heating offers a promising alternative to gas‐burning furnace systems by directly heating substrates via renewable energy supply, most approaches can only heat the reactor, not the catalytic sites. This limitation stems from the lack of methods to on‐demand create Joule heaters containing in situ loaded catalytic nanoparticles. This work introduces a scalable platform for producing carbonaceous Joule heaters embedded with catalytic nanoparticles from 3D‐printed polypropylene precursors, prepared through crosslinking, metal nitration immersion, and pyrolysis steps. Specifically, sulfonate groups on crosslinked PP can bind with metal ions, yielding well‐dispersed, nanosized particles within a carbon structure that maintains macroscopic dimensional accuracy throughout the manufacturing. The approach is modular, allowing control over particle size and composition. Structured carbon with in situ loaded nickel nanoparticles demonstrates efficient Joule heating, high catalytic activity, and significantly reduced activation energy for catalytic ammonia decomposition. This work provides an innovative material and manufacturing platform to produce structured, catalytically active Joule heaters for decarbonization of chemical synthesis and energy production.
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spelling doaj-art-2a2911e638e94b549db5b3e31cd420ff2025-08-20T03:26:38ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-05-011220n/an/a10.1002/advs.202413149Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia DecompositionPaul Smith0Jiachun Wu1Anthony Griffin2Kaleb Jones3Jeff Aguinaga4Ethan Bounds5Derek Patton6Yizhi Xiang7Zhe Qiang8School of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USADave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 39762 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USADave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 39762 USASchool of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 39406 USAAbstract Electrified thermal chemical synthesis plays a critical role in reducing energy consumption and enabling the industrial decarbonization. While Joule heating offers a promising alternative to gas‐burning furnace systems by directly heating substrates via renewable energy supply, most approaches can only heat the reactor, not the catalytic sites. This limitation stems from the lack of methods to on‐demand create Joule heaters containing in situ loaded catalytic nanoparticles. This work introduces a scalable platform for producing carbonaceous Joule heaters embedded with catalytic nanoparticles from 3D‐printed polypropylene precursors, prepared through crosslinking, metal nitration immersion, and pyrolysis steps. Specifically, sulfonate groups on crosslinked PP can bind with metal ions, yielding well‐dispersed, nanosized particles within a carbon structure that maintains macroscopic dimensional accuracy throughout the manufacturing. The approach is modular, allowing control over particle size and composition. Structured carbon with in situ loaded nickel nanoparticles demonstrates efficient Joule heating, high catalytic activity, and significantly reduced activation energy for catalytic ammonia decomposition. This work provides an innovative material and manufacturing platform to produce structured, catalytically active Joule heaters for decarbonization of chemical synthesis and energy production.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202413149additive manufacturingdecarbonizationhydrogen production
spellingShingle Paul Smith
Jiachun Wu
Anthony Griffin
Kaleb Jones
Jeff Aguinaga
Ethan Bounds
Derek Patton
Yizhi Xiang
Zhe Qiang
Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
Advanced Science
additive manufacturing
decarbonization
hydrogen production
title Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
title_full Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
title_fullStr Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
title_full_unstemmed Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
title_short Transformative 3D Printing of Carbon‐metal Nanocomposites as Catalytic Joule Heaters for Enhanced Ammonia Decomposition
title_sort transformative 3d printing of carbon metal nanocomposites as catalytic joule heaters for enhanced ammonia decomposition
topic additive manufacturing
decarbonization
hydrogen production
url https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202413149
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