Conversion of toluene into carbon nanotubes using arc discharge plasmas in solution

In order to form nanocarbon materials, an arc discharge plasma method in hydrocarbon solvent is developed. In the case that the arc discharge is performed in toluene with nickel electrodes, tube-like nanocarbons were formed from toluene. The catalysis of the metal electrodes is found to be an important factor for the formation of the nanocarbons by the arc discharge in toluene. This method has a possibility of forming carbon nanotubes from liquid state solvents as a new carbon source by using catalyst ingredient as discharge electrodes.     

Catalyst effect on the preparation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a modified arc discharge

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were prepared by a modified arc discharge furnace using 500?Torr helium as buffer gas at 600?°C. The effect of the catalyst type on the production of SWCNTs was studied by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results indicated that the catalyst composition plays an important role in the production rate and purity of the SWCNTs product. Fe-Ni-Mg and Co-Ni powder catalysts demonstrated excellent catalytic effect at a catalyst content of 3?wt%. The soot production rate was up to 15?g/hr and the mean diameter of SWCNTs was about 1.3?nm.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes produced by hydrogen DC arc discharge at elevated environment temperature

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized by hydrogen DC arc discharge at elevated environment temperature. The sample collected from the soot on the inner wall of the arc discharge furnace was investigated using TEM, HRTEM and X-ray diffraction. The results show that environment temperature has a significant effect on the formation of MWCNTs in the soot in hydrogen atmosphere as well as the diameter of the tubes. When environment temperature in the furnace is higher than about 500 °C, MWCNTs can be formed on the furnace walls with a great quantity.     

A new type of arc plasma reactor with 12-phase alternating current discharge for synthesis of carbon nanotubes

A new type of arc plasma reactor with 12-phase alternating current (AC) discharge for synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is proposed. A couple of six discharge electrodes by which have mutually electrical connection between them to enlarge the high-temperature regions in the reactor are arranged to three-dimensional locations. A new method of CNTs fabrication by this reactor, which accomplishes to enlarge the suitable growth region in high purity and at high yield, was developed.     

Coral-like amorphous carbon nanotubes synthesized by a modified arc discharge

A coral-like amorphous carbon nanotube was prepared by a modified arc discharging furnace in hydrogen atmosphere with a mixture of Mo-Co₂O₃-Mg powders as catalyst at 600°C. This carbon nanotube presented a microscopic coral-like by SEM observation and amorphous structure of nanotubes by HRTEM observation. The XRD diffraction and Raman pattern presented noncrystal characteristics compared to the normal graphite structure. We believed that these results may be affected by the “synergistic” effect of catalyst, atmosphere, and temperature in the synthesis process. The possible explanations to the formation mechanism of this novel carbon nanotube have also been proposed.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes grow under low pressure hydrogen,air, and argon ambient by arc discharge plasma

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown on cathode deposit by arc discharge plasma under H₂, Ar, and air ambient environment. The influence of ambient gas pressure on the structure and physical properties of carbon nanotube were compared. Herein, we highlight the influence of ambient environment and pressure to grow high quality carbon nanotubes. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were used for structural characterization and yield determination. The result revealed that background gas and pressure were crucial factor for growing highly crystalline and highly graphitic with I_D/I_G ratio 0.237 obtained for MWCNTs' synthesized in H₂ environment with extreme low defects.     

Horizontally oriented carbon nanotubes coated with nanocrystalline carbon

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and multi-walled CNTs of length 2-5 mm were grown from Fe/Mo nanoparticles and Fe thin film catalyst, respectively, by thermal chemical vapor deposition. Following CNT growth, the CNTs were in-situ coated with nanocrystalline carbon shells of thickness 100-1500 nm. Horizontally oriented CNTs with carbon shells in the direction of the feeding gas were visible under a regular optical microscope. They were easily manipulated by optical manipulators, and CNT probes can thus be fabricated.     

水或液氮中电弧放电制备炭纳米材料

利用特制的电弧放电装置，研究了水或液氮中碳电弧放电形成炭纳米材料的机理。借助高分辨率透射电子显微镜对电弧放电生成的产物进行了观察和分析。结果表明：在水或液氮中碳电弧放电可以生成多壁碳纳米管和碳纳米洋葱结构，液氮中碳电弧放电可以生成单壁碳纳米角，水中钴催化碳电弧放电可以生成碳包裹的纳米钴颗粒。横向低频交变磁场会影响碳纳米材料的形核过程，并且可以推测磁场交变的频率5Hz与纳米管、纳米洋葱等结构的生长周期存在某种拟合。根据实验现象，提出了一种解释液体中碳电弧放电过程纳米材料生成的理论模型。     

Hydrogen storage capacity of single-walled carbon nanotube prepared by a modified arc discharge

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, the mean diameter of 1.35 nm) were produced by a modified arc discharging furnace using a mixture powder of KCl and Co-Ni alloy as catalyst at 600°C. The hydrogen storage capacity of SWCNTs was enhanced by the mechanism of atom hydrogen spillover from the supported catalyst. The temperature effect on the hydrogen storage capacity of as-grown SWCNTs was investigated. The relative experiments of SWCNT hydrogen uptake and release were carried out by a high-pressure volumetric gas-adsorption measurement system. The experimental results indicated that the hydrogen storage capacity of SWCNTs increased with the environmental temperatures decreasing. The hydrogen storage capacity of SWCNTs was up to 1.73 wt% at 77 K for 2 hours under the pressure of 10 MPa, and the corresponding releasing hydrogen capacity is about 1.23 wt% under ambient pressure.     

电弧法制备洋葱状富勒烯的工艺研究

运用纳米Bi2O3微粒作催化剂，在电弧放电条件下，进行了纳米洋葱状富勒烯大量合成的研究。并用透射电镜对产物的形貌、结构进行了观察与分析。结果表明：纳米洋葱状富勒烯的石墨化程度很高，且直径均匀(约为25nm)，结构较完善；同时伴有单核纳米洋葱状富勒烯向多核纳米洋葱状富勒烯的转变。为洋葱状富勒烯的宏量制备提供了有利线索。     

Large-scale synthesis of BN nanotubes using carbon nanotubes as template

Boron nitride nanotubes (BN-NTs) were synthesized in large scale by the reaction of NaBH₄ and NH₄Cl in the temperature range of 500-600 °C for 10-18 h, where carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were mixed together with the reactants to serve as template. Pure BN-NTs were obtained by oxidizing the product at about 800 °C in air atmosphere. The structure and morphology of the product with a surface area of 106.635 m²/g were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Large scale preparation of BN-NTs could be realized by this simple and effective route.     

活性碳纳米管的制备及其结构的研究

采用KOH对催化裂解法制备的碳纳米管进行活化处理，以提高碳纳米管的比表面积，并调整孔结构。研究了活化温度和碱用量对活化碳纳米管的收率、比表面积、晶体结构、微观形貌和孔结构的影响。实验结果表明，通过KOH活化能有效地提高碳纳米管的比表面积，调整孔隙结构。随活化温度升高，活化碳纳米管的收率逐渐降低，比表面积和孔容则逐渐提高。通过活化，碳纳米管的内孔得到释放，有大量的微孔、中孔结构形成。增大碱用量时，收率降低，而比表面积和微孔孔容增加，在比值为7：1时比表面积达到最大值。通过研究发现，制备高比表面积碳纳米管的优化工艺条件为：KOH／CNTs的质量比为7：1，活化温度为900℃。此条件下所得碳纳米管的比表面积为360．1m^2／g，比未活化碳纳米管的比表面积(24．5m^2/g）提高了14倍。     

Continuous synthesis of carbon nanotubes using a metal-free catalyst by CVD

This study demonstrates the first example of the use of a metal-free catalyst for the continuous synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In this paper silica nanoparticles produced from the thermal decomposition of PSS-(2-(trans-3,4-Cyclohexanediol)ethyl)-Heptaisobutyl substituted (POSS) were used as catalyst and ethanol was served as both the solvent and the carbon source for nanotube growth. The POSS/ethanol solution was nebulized by an ultrasonic beam. The tiny mists were continuously introduced into the CVD reactor for the growth of CNTs. The morphology and structure of the CNTs have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The obtained CNTs have a multi-walled structure with diameters mainly in the size range from 13 to 16 nm. Detailed investigations on the growth conditions indicate that the growth temperature and POSS concentration are important for achieving high-quality nanotubes, and that the existing of small amount of water in ethanol is effective to remove amorphous carbon species during the formation of CNTs. The mass production of CNTs without any metal contaminant will provide a chance for investing and understanding the intrinsic properties of CNTs and applications particularly in nanoelectronics and biomedicines.     

低压空气中直流电弧法制备单壁碳纳米管

本文以Fe-S为催化剂、低压空气为缓冲气体采用直流电弧放电法首次大量合成低成本、高质量的单壁碳纳米管。实验结果表明在电弧放电过程中通过控制空气流量,使得电弧腔室压强保持在6～12 KPa为最优制备条件。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)对样品的形貌和结构进行表征,结果表明该方法所制备的单壁碳纳米管具有较高结晶度,管壁表面光滑、其直径为1.5～6.0 nm.采用低压空气电弧放电法有望成为低成本、大量制备高质量单壁碳纳米管的重要技术手段之一。     

Carbon nanotubes and diamond-like carbon films produced by cathodic micro-arc discharge in aqueous solutions

This letter reports the synthesis of carbon nanotubes and diamond-like carbon films using cathodic micro-arc discharge in aqueous solutions. The conditions and mechanisms for the growth of these structures were briefly discussed based on the experimental observations.     

不同压力下碳纳米管的电弧法合成及其表征

采用电弧放电法在氦气/乙炔混合气氛中,在不同压力下合成了碳纳米管.运用场发射扫描电镜、场发射透射电镜、X-射线衍射仪和拉曼光谱对碳纳米管的形貌进行了表征.采用可见发射光谱对碳纳米管的形成过程进行了原位诊断研究.场发射扫描电镜结果表明,在氦气/乙炔气氛中合成的碳纳米管的长度大于50微米,许多碳颗粒沉积在碳纳米管壁上.场发射透射电镜结果表明,在0.100MPa下合成的碳纳米管的壁厚明显大于0.035MPa下合成的碳纳米管的壁厚.可见发射光谱诊断结果表明,CH和C2物种可能作为碳纳米管形成的前驱体,其中,以H原子作为无定形炭的刻蚀物种.阳极消耗速率和产物在阴极的沉积速率随着反应器中压力的增加而增加.因此,可以通过加强阳极和乙炔的蒸发速率及CH和C2物种的沉积速率而增加碳纳米管的形成速率.     

Enhanced electrical conduction in aluminum wires coated with carbon nanotubes

Electrophoretic deposition was used to create SWCNT nanosized coatings on commercial aluminum wires. Electrical measurements showed an increase in the conductivity of about 160%. Due to the semiconductor nature of a fraction of the deposited SWCNTs, the high conductivity of the coated wires did not substantially decrease with increasing temperature (up to 600 K). Instead, increasing temperature and current were observed to affect the arrangement of the CNTs on the substrate, such that a web-like structure of SWCNTs was induced and resulted in further resistivity decrease.     

Synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes by arc-vaporization under high gravity condition

Arc-vaporization is one of the common methods to synthesize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). However the detailed synthesis mechanism is still not clear, and the synthesis of longer and chirality-selected SWNTs has not been obtained. Here influence of the gravity G = 1 g₀, 2 g₀, and 3 g₀ is studied in order to develop the synthesis method of SWNTs. Simultaneously, calculations of heat convection are also carried out by using a fluid simulation program and the results are compared with the experimental results.     

聚苯胺原位包覆碳纳米管材料的制备及性能

在苯胺的盐酸溶液中，用过硫酸胺((NH4)2S2O8)作氧化剂，在碳纳米管上原位生成并包覆了聚苯胺，用SEM及TEM观察了包覆前后碳纳米管的结构形态，并对这种材料表面性质及微波电磁参数进行了研究。结果表明：碳纳米管／苯胺重量比为4：1时，生成的聚苯胺可完全包覆在碳纳米管上，包覆层厚度为10nm-20nm；碳纳米管经聚苯胺包覆后表面能增大，包覆后的碳纳米管在水中及固体状态时分散性明显得到改善，微波电磁吸收系数的实部(ε’，μ’)、虚部(ε”，μ”)及电磁损耗因子(tgδe=ε”/ε’，tgδm=μ”/μ’)均得到了提高，表明聚苯胺包覆后碳纳米管有望成为一种电磁波屏蔽材料。     

Fabrication of dye sensitized solar cell using TiO2 coated carbon nanotubes

We fabricated a dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using TiO₂ coated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (TiO₂-CNTs). Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have excellent electrical conductivity and good chemical stability. We introduced CNTs in DSCs to improve solar cell performance through reduction of series resistance. TiO₂-CNTs were obtained by Sol-Gel method. Compared with a conventional TiO₂ cell, the TiO₂-CNTs content (0.1 wt.%) cell showed ∼ 50% increase in conversion efficiency, which is attributed to the increase in short circuit current density (J_sc). The enhancement in J_sc occurs due to improvement in interconnectivity between the TiO₂ particles and the TiO₂-CNTs in the porous TiO₂ film.