US 12275651 B1Patent grantUnited States

Mesoporous Zinc Oxide-Borate Nanomaterial

Official patent title

Method of forming zinc oxide/borate nanocomposite

Arabic title: طريقة تكوين مركب نانوي من أكسيد الزنك/البورات

Invention

Problem

ZnO-based materials can suffer from ultraviolet-only photoresponse, photocorrosion, difficult morphology control, and integration challenges. Conventional zinc-borate preparation may also require long, multistep reactions and leave surfactant-derived impurities.

Why it matters

A reproducible mixed-phase material with controlled crystallite size and mesoporosity could support research in adsorption, catalysis, sensors, and electrochemical components while simplifying access to zinc oxide–zinc orthoborate composites.

Approach

The method uses a Pechini-type sol-gel route: a boric-acid solution is mixed with a zinc-carboxylate complex, a polyol is added, the mixture is heated to form a solid intermediate, and the intermediate is calcined to create a ZnO/Zn3(BO3)2 nanocomposite with specified pore and particle characteristics.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include nanomaterial manufacturers, catalyst and adsorbent developers, sensor researchers, energy-storage laboratories, and organizations developing zinc-based functional ceramics.

Potential value

The disclosed aqueous-compatible sol-gel process integrates ZnO and Zn3(BO3)2 in one characterized mesoporous material and specifies composition ratios, heating conditions, crystallite dimensions, surface area, and pore structure.

Background

ZnO is studied for photocatalysis, sensing, and energy storage, but its wide band gap limits light absorption mainly to ultraviolet wavelengths and aqueous irradiation can cause photocorrosion. Producing stable material with precise morphology is also difficult, especially when several nanoscale phases must be integrated. Zinc borates offer mechanical, surface, flame-retardant, and antibacterial properties, yet some preparation routes are lengthy or leave impurities. The patent addresses these issues through a combined zinc oxide and zinc orthoborate nanocomposite with defined mesoporosity and phase structure.

Technology overview

Boric acid in a polar solvent is combined with a zinc carboxylate, preferably zinc citrate prepared from zinc nitrate and citric acid. Ethylene glycol or another polyol is added, the reaction is heated at 100–150 °C, and the solid is calcined at 500–800 °C. The resulting ZnO/Zn3(BO3)2 composite has a claimed BET area of 15–60 m²/g, pore volume of 0.100–0.200 cm³/g, mean pore diameter of 5–10 nm, crystallites of 10–150 nm, and larger agglomerates.

Potential applications

Adsorbent and heterogeneous-catalyst material research.
Photocatalytic environmental-remediation studies.
Zinc-based sensing and optoelectronic material development.
Electrode-material research for energy-storage devices.

Evidence-supported advantages

Combines crystalline ZnO and Zn3(BO3)2 phases in one nanocomposite.
Uses a defined sol-gel route with water as a preferred polar solvent.
Specifies mesopore, surface-area, crystallite-size, and agglomerate-size ranges.
Can be prepared substantially free of boron hydroxide by PXRD.

Development stage

Sol-gel synthesis and PXRD, SEM, TEM, and nitrogen-adsorption characterization are described; performance in photocatalysis, sensing, adsorption, or energy-storage devices was not established in the supplied evidence. The development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The material could be evaluated by specialty-ceramic, catalyst, sensor, and energy-material companies as a multifunctional zinc composite. Translation requires application-specific performance testing, batch reproducibility, thermal-energy and precursor-cost analysis, scale-up, durability studies, and comparison with established ZnO or zinc-borate products in practical systems.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C01G9/02Compounds containing metals not covered by subclasses C01D or C01F
B82Y30/00Specific uses or applications of nanostructures; measurement or analysis of nanostructures; manufacture or treatment of nanostructures

CPC

B82Y30/00Specific uses or applications of nanostructures; measurement or analysis of nanostructures; manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
C01G9/02Compounds containing metals not covered by subclasses C01D or C01F
C01P2006/16Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2006/14Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/60Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2006/12Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds

Inventors

First inventorEhab Abdelhamed Abdelrahman Ahmed

Keywords

zinc oxide
zinc orthoborate
Zn3(BO3)2
nanocomposite
Pechini sol-gel
mesoporous material
zinc citrate
calcination

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.