<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Carbon nanotubes have unique properties, such as thermal and electrical conductance, which could be useful in the fields of aerospace, microelectronics and biotechnology. However, these properties may vary widely depending on the dimensions, uniformity and purity of the nanotube. Nanotube samples typically contain a significant percentage of more allotropes forms of carbon as well as metal particles left over from catalysts used in manufacturing. Purity characterization of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) is an increasingly popular topic in the field of carbon nanotechnology. In this study, DWCNTs were synthesized in a catalytic reaction, using Fe:MgO as catalyst and methane or methane/ethanol as carbon feedstock for chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The addition of ethanol as carbon feedstock allowed to investigate the influence of oxygen on the sample quality. The purification of the as-produced material from the metallic particles and the catalyst support was performed by sonication in an acid solution. The influence of the duration of the acid treatment using ultrasound on the sample purity was investigated, and the optimal value of this parameter was found. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the removal of impurities and served to elucidate the morphology of the samples. The purity of carbon nanotubes was analyzed using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Raman spectra of the samples, as a measure of the concentration of defects, were also reported.</p></abstract>

Carbon nanotubes have unique properties, such as thermal and electrical conductance, which could be useful in the fields of aerospace, microelectronics and biotechnology. However, these properties may vary widely depending on the dimensions, uniformity and purity of the nanotube. Nanotube samples typically contain a significant percentage of more allotropes forms of carbon as well as metal particles left over from catalysts used in manufacturing. Purity characterization of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) is an increasingly popular topic in the field of carbon nanotechnology. In this study, DWCNTs were synthesized in a catalytic reaction, using Fe:MgO as catalyst and methane or methane/ethanol as carbon feedstock for chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The addition of ethanol as carbon feedstock allowed to investigate the influence of oxygen on the sample quality. The purification of the as-produced material from the metallic particles and the catalyst support was performed by sonication in an acid solution. The influence of the duration of the acid treatment using ultrasound on the sample purity was investigated, and the optimal value of this parameter was found. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the removal of impurities and served to elucidate the morphology of the samples. The purity of carbon nanotubes was analyzed using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Raman spectra of the samples, as a measure of the concentration of defects, were also reported.

Systematic study on synthesis and purification of double-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized via CVD

Centre of Knowledge Based Nanomaterials and Technologies, Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Pulaskiego 10, 70-322, Szczecin, Poland

Materials Science-Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Carbon nanotubes have unique properties, such as thermal and electrical conductance, which could be useful in the fields of aerospace, microelectronics and...

Systematic study on synthesis and purification of double-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized via CVD

Published Online: May 08, 2012

Page range: 292 - 298

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13536-011-0043-3

Keywords
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon nanotubes, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)

© 2011 Wroclaw University of Technology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Systematic study on synthesis and purification of double-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized via CVD

Published Online: May 08, 2012

Page range: 292 - 298

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13536-011-0043-3

KeywordsChemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon nanotubes, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)

© 2011 Wroclaw University of Technology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon nanotubes, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)