Patent ID: 8524631

Claim:
A method of producing a catalyst material with nano-scale structure, the method comprising: providing a starting powder into a nano-powder production reactor, the starting powder comprising a catalyst material; nano-sizing the starting powder by using a plasma flow in the nano-powder production reactor, thereby producing a nano-powder from the starting powder, the nano powder comprising a plurality of nano-particles, each nano-particle comprising the catalyst material; forming a catalyst precursor material from the nano-powder by using a bonding device, wherein the catalyst precursor material is a densified bulk porous structure comprising the catalyst material, the catalyst material having a nano-scale structure, wherein the bulk porous structure of the catalyst precursor material further comprises a filler material; and further comprising removing a substantial portion of the filler material from the bulk structure of the catalyst precursor to form a nano-scale skeletal structure comprising the catalyst material, such that the catalyst material is activated to form a nano-skeletal catalyst.