High surface area polymers of pyrrole or copolymers of pyrrole

Claim 2

A pulverant catalytic composition comprising a polymer of pyrrole a copolymer of pyrrole and mixtures thereof obtained by treating pyrrole or a co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole at an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising the steps of: (A) immersing an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising at least one liquid and at least one non-miscible liquid or gas or finely divided solid particles wherein a pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole is one of the liquids or is dissolved in at least one of the liquids, and (B) passing an electric current through said bath at a voltage sufficient to electropolymerize the pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole at the electronically conductive surface thereby obtaining the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole, (C) treating the of polymer pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole in the presence of a strong base to substantially increase the surface area of, and substantially deprotonate the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole, and (D) reacting the high surface area polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole with a catalytic active material.

Claim 3

The composition of claim 1 wherein the catalytic active material is a Friedel Crafts catalyst.

Claim 4

The composition of claim 1 wherein the catalytic active material is an oxygen reduction catalyst.

Claim 5

The composition of claim 3 wherein the catalytic active material is a transition metal.

Claim 6

The composition of claim 1 wherein the surface area of the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole prior to contact with the catalytic active material is at least about 25 square meters per gram.

Claim 7

The composition of claim 1 wherein the catalytic active material is selected from the group consisting of ferric, ferrous, cupric, cuprous, manganic, nickel, osmium, ruthenium and aluminum ions and mixtures thereof.

Claim 8

The composition of claim 1 wherein the catalytic active material is selected from the group consisting of bromine, iodine, boron triflouride, and sulfur trioxide.

Claim 9

The composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole is reprotonated.

Claim 10

The composition of claim 8 wherein the composition is reprotonated with a non-oxidative acid.

Claim 11

The composition of claim 9 wherein the composition is reprotonated with a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of phosphoric, sulfuric, and hydrochloric or mixtures thereof.

Claim 12

The composition of claim 8 wherein the composition is reprotonated with quinone sulfonic acid or methane sulfonic acid.

Claim 13

The composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole is polymerized in the presence of one or more low mobility anions.

Claim 14

The composition of claim 12 wherein the low mobility anions are selected from the group consisting of the sulfates and sulfonates of alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, alkaryl or polyolefin sulfates or sulfonates.

Claim 15

The composition of claim 1 wherein the strong base is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkoxides and amine bases.

Claim 16

A process for preparing a pulverant catalytic composition comprising a polymer of pyrrole or a copolymer of pyrrole and mixtures thereof obtained by treating a pyrrole or a copolymerizabe mixture containing a pyrrole at an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising the steps of: (A) immersing an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising at least one liquid and at least one non-miscible liquid or gas or finely divided solid particles wherein a pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole is one of the liquids or is dissolved in at least one of the liquids, and (B) passing an electric current through said bath at a voltage sufficient to electropolymerize the pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole at the electronically conductive surface thereby obtaining the polymer of pyrrole or a copolymer of pyrrole, (C) treating the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole in the presence of a strong base to substantially increase the surface area of, and substantially deprotonate the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole, and (D) reacting the high surface area polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole with a catalytic active material, thereby forming the catalytic composition.

Claim 17

A process for preparing a pulverant catalytic composition comprising a polymer of pyrrole or a copolymer of pyrrole and mixtures thereof obtained by treating a pyrrole or a copolymerizabe mixture containing a pyrrole at an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising the steps of: (A) immersing an electronically conductive surface in an electrolytic bath comprising at least one liquid and at least one non-miscible liquid or gas or finely divided solid particles wherein a pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole is one of the liquids or is dissolved in at least one of the liquids, and (B) passing an electric current through said bath at a voltage sufficient to electropolymerize the pyrrole or co-polymerizable mixture containing a pyrrole at the electronically conductive surface thereby obtaining the polymer of pyrrole or a copolymer of pyrrole, (C) treating the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole in the presence of a strong base to substantially increase the surface area of, and substantially deprotonate the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole, and (D) reacting the high surface area polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole with a catalytic active material, thereby forming the catalytic composition.

Claim 18

The process of claim 15 wherein the catalytic active material is a Friedel Crafts catalyst.

Claim 19

The process of claim 15 wherein the catalytic active material is an oxygen reduction catalyst.

Claim 20

The process of claim 17 wherein the catalytic active material is a transition metal.

Claim 21

The process of claim 15 wherein the surface area of polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole prior to contact with the catalytic active material is at least about 25 square meters per gram.

Claim 22

The process of claim 15 wherein the catalytic active material is selected from the group consisting of ferric, ferrous, cupric, cuprous, manganic, nickel, osmium, ruthenium and aluminum ions and mixtures thereof.

Claim 23

The process of claim 15 wherein the catalytic active material is selected from the group consisting of bromine, iodine, boron triflou and sulfur trioxide.

Claim 24

The process of claim 15 wherein the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole is reprotonated.

Claim 25

The process of claim 22 wherein the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrolle is reprotonated with a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of phosphoric, sulfuric, and hydrochloric or mixtures thereof.

Claim 26

The process of claim 22 wherein the composition is reprotonated with quinone sulfonic acid or methane sulf acid.

Claim 27

The process of claim 15 wherein the polymer of pyrrole or copolymer of pyrrole is polymerized in the presence of one or more low mobility anions.

Claim 28

The process of claim 25 wherein the low mobility anions are selected from the group consisting of the sulfates and sulfonates of alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, alkaryl or polyolefin sulfates or sulfonates.

Claim 29

The process of claim 15 wherein the strong base is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkoxides and amine bases.