Fabrication of single-wall carbon nanotubes within the channels of a mesoporous material by catalyst-supported chemical vapor deposition

Diameter-controlled single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been synthesized using Co, Fe/Co and Rh/Pd alloy nanoparticles trapped within the one-dimensional channels of a mesoporous materials (Folded Sheets Mesoporous material: FSM-16) by catalyst-supported chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) using ethanol as carbon source at 973-1173 K. The SWCNTs synthesized are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The yield, diameter distribution and quality of the SWCNTs strongly depend on the reaction temperature during CCVD. The product synthesized at 1173 K contains only SWCNTs, in marked contrast to those synthesized at lower temperatures. As the reaction temperature decreases, the relative abundance of multi-wall carbon nanotubes against SWCNTs significantly increases, whereas the mean diameter of SWCNTs increases as reaction temperature increases. The results show that a careful control of the reaction temperature is crucial to fabricate diameter-controlled SWCNTs from the channels of FSM-16.     

SBA-15/酶纳米反应器的扩散和动力学

将猪胰脂肪酶固定于不同孔径SBA-15载体的孔道内,将已固定酶的尺寸分布均一的一维孔道看作纳米反应器,研究了酶催化水解反应的内扩散和动力学特征。蒂勒模数和有效扩散系数随孔径尺寸的变化以及动力学参数和内扩散之间的关系说明:当孔径小于9.4nm时,内扩散限制明显;孔径大于10.9nm时,内扩散对酶催化水解过程的影响减小。     

SBA-15 as Support for MoS2 and Co-MoS2 Catalysts Derived from Thiomolybdate Complexes in the Reaction of HDS of DBT

Molybdenum sulfide and cobalt-molybdenum sulfide catalysts supported on mesoporous SBA-15 were prepared by thermal decomposition of ammonium thiomolybdate (ATM). SBA-15 was synthesized at 353 K and 413 K to obtain pore diameters of about 6 and 9 nm, respectively. The (Co)-MoS₂/SBA-15 catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂-physisorption and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). HRTEM images give evidence for the presence of a poorly dispersed MoS₂ phase with long MoS₂ slabs and a pronounced MoS₂ stacking. The catalytic performance in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reaction of dibenzothiophene (DBT) was examined at T = 623 K and P = 3.4 MPa. The Co-MoS₂/SBA-15 materials show a relatively high catalytic activity with a strong preference for the direct desulfurization (DDS) pathway. This is an interesting result in view of the significant stacking of MoS₂ particles and the size of the slabs. The generation of the catalytically active CoMoS phase and a large number of coordinately unsaturated sites (CUS) may explain the high performance of Co promoted MoS₂/SBA-15 catalysts in the HDS reaction. A confinement effect of the mesoporous channels of SBA-15 is observed for the unpromoted MoS₂/SBA-15 catalysts. SBA-15 with 9 nm channel diameter with 11 wt.% Mo loading shows a higher selectivity for the hydrogenation pathway than SBA-15 with 6 nm channel and 16 wt.% Mo loading.     

Control of diameter distribution of single-walled carbon nanotubes using the zeolite-CCVD method at atmospheric pressure

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been synthesized on zeolite powder with Fe/Co catalysts by a catalytic chemical alcohol-vapor deposition (CCAVD). We have first used a cold wall reactor at the atmospheric pressure, the system having been modified for the zeolite-CCAVD specifications by the use of radio-frequency heating. The G/D ratio (∼25), estimated by analysis of Raman spectroscopy, obtained here is equivalent to that by the conventional CCAVD method under reduced pressure, indicating the high purity of the present specimen. The estimated diameter distributions of the SWCNTs obtained at synthesis temperatures of 900, 1000 °C and constant ethanol temperature of 0 °C are 0.9-1.8 and 1.2-2.2 nm, respectively, whereas that of synthesized at synthesis temperature of 900 °C and ethanol temperatures of 40 °C ranges form 0.8 to 1.4 nm. The diameter distribution shifts towards larger diameters as the synthesis temperature is increased and the carbon supply rate (ethanol temperature) decreases, from which we suggest a selective growth model due to a competition between deposition and etching of carbon atoms.     

Metal catalyst-free mist flow chemical vapor deposition growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes using C60 colloidal solutions

Metal catalyst-free mist flow chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with C₆₀ fullerenes has been investigated by using an aqueous colloidal C₆₀ solution. Under the optimum reaction condition, relatively uniform SWCNTs with a mean diameter of 1.28 nm can be synthesized without any treatments of C₆₀ prior to CVD. Cap opening, nucleation and the growth of SWCNTs have been occurring almost simultaneously during the present CVD. C₆₀ can be used as the seeds (i.e., end-caps) of SWCNTs, in which oxygen atoms from water molecules provide etching of C₆₀ into caps. Furthermore, the coalescence of C₆₀ caps into a larger one leads to the growth of SWCNTs with larger diameters.     

Synthesis,characterization and field emission of single wall carbon nanotubes

In this work, high-quality SWCNTs were synthesized by pyrolysis of ethanol at 900 °C in a tubular furnace. The catalyst was manufactured by depositing Fe and Mo metal on the surface of sol–gel MgO nanopowder. The SWCNTs produced by sol–gel MgO nanopowder have better yield, higher purity, and smaller diameters than those produced by commercial milling MgO powder. The lengths of SWCNTs are up to several microns with diameters in the range of 0.73–1.40 nm. The extremely small turn-on field E_to (0.01 V/μm) and threshold field E_th (0.07 V/μm) show that the SWCNTs have potential applications in field emission displays (FEDs).     

Silver nanoparticles synthesized from mesoporous Ag/SBA-15 composites

Silver nanoparticles were prepared by removing silica from mesoporous Ag/SBA-15 composites. The results of nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy indicated that Ag nanoparticles existed in the pore channels of SBA-15. Ag nanoparticles with diameters in the range of 2.5–5.5 nm and a narrow size distribution were confirmed by atomic force microscope images and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. UV–vis spectroscopy showed a broad emission peak of Ag nanoparticles centered at ca. 438 nm.     

Simultaneous control of rod length and pore diameter of SBA-15 for PPL loading

Mesoporous silica materials are attractive materials for immobilizing enzymes because of their well-ordered structures, large surface area are pore volume. Diffusion of large enzyme molecules such as porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) through the lengthy channels of MPS takes place too slowly. Therefore, the squat of the enzyme at the pore mouth entrance, actually makes the rest of the channel useless. In this study, to overcome this problem, synthesis parameters of SBA-15 were changed, since along with pore diameter increasing, the mesochannel length becomes shorter. The main point to obtain a well-ordered 2D hexagonal pore structure was the pre-hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) before the addition of 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene as a micelle swelling agent. Due to the strong effect of zirconium in changing the morphology of SBA-15 particles, we modified SBA-15 in the presence of a small amount of ZrOCl₂ in the synthesis solution under acidic conditions. As a result, mesochannel length of SBA-15-Zr was shortened from 600 to <200 nm. The morphology of mesoporous silica was also changed from rod-like to platelet, because of the accelerating effect of Zr(IV) on the self-assembly rate of P123 and TEOS condensation. Characteristic results conducted by low angle XRD, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption, confirmed tuning effect of Zr(IV) in SBA-15. Furthermore, it was shown that the number of pore entrances increases with decreasing the length of SBA-15 mesochannels, leading to obvious improvement of enzyme uptake. PPL has been successfully immobilized in the mesoporous channels of SBA-15-Zr. The total amount of lipase adsorbed on the mesoporous SBA-15-Zr was measured by thermal gravimetric analysis. The largest PPL adsorption capacity was 784 mg/g belonging to the SBA-15-Zr with the length of 150 nm and the mean pore size diameter of 9.22 nm.     

Short channeled Zr-Ce-SBA-15 supported palladium catalysts for toluene catalytic oxidation

Short channeled Zr-Ce-SBA-15 (ZCS) mesoporous materials were synthesized through hydrothermal routes without addition of mineral acids. 0.5 wt.% palladium was loaded on ZCS and SBA-15 via an ethanol reduction approach. Pd/ZCS possesses unique hexagonal platelet morphologies with short channels running parallel to the thickness in the range of 400–500 nm, while Pd/SBA-15 has a fibrous macrostructure with channels at the micrometer scale. Palladium species present in supports as well dispersed PdO nanocrystals with diameter of ca. 5–6 nm. Comparing with Pd/SBA-15, Pd/ZCS shows enhanced catalytic activity for toluene oxidation, which is ascribed to short channeled supports facilitating the molecular diffusion.     

A simple aqueous solution based chemical methodology for synthesis of Ag nanoparticles dispersed on mesoporous silicate matrix

A simple chemical method has been developed for preparation of Ag nanoparticles dispersed on mesoporous silicate matrix, SBA-15. Ag nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on SBA-15 matrix by using the reduction reaction of AgNO₃ with trisodium citrate. The synthesized materials were characterized by using room temperature powder XRD analysis, N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm, high resolution TEM and SEM. It was observed that the synthesized SBA-15 and Ag-SBA-15 have a surface area of 778 and 151 m²/g respectively. The synthesized materials have long range ordering of pores with narrow pore size distribution centered at ∼ 7 nm. Pore structure of SBA-15 remains preserved even after deposition of Ag nanoparticle. This chemical route reported here offers a simple method for preparation of Ag-SBA-15, where unagglomerated Ag nanoparticles (∼ 20 nm) are uniformly dispersed on SBA-15.     

Esterification of Stearic Acid with Triethanolamine over Zirconium Sulfate Supported on SBA-15 Mesoporous Molecular Sieve

Zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 (pore diameter about 6 nm) mesoporous molecular sieve was synthesized. Various techniques, such as nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption, were used to characterize the prepared catalysts. It was shown that the catalyst exhibited straight, parallel, and uniform channels, zirconium sulfate had been finely dispersed on the surface of SBA-15, and most of the zirconium sulfate species were located inside the pore channels. The catalyst contained two kinds of acid sites with different strengths. Zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 was used to catalyze the esterification of stearic acid with triethanolamine and recycling was used. The composition of esteramine was analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The analytic results showed that the catalytic activity and selectivity of zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15 in the esterification of stearic acid and triethanolamine was better than that of phosphorous acid, zirconium sulfate supported on MCM-41, and zirconium sulfate supported on SBA-15.     

Novel utilization of mesoporous molecular sieves as supports of cobalt catalysts in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Mesoporous molecular sieves (MCM-41 and SBA-15) with different pore diameters have been studied as supports of high loading of Co catalysts, and the performances in FT synthesis have been examined with a fixed bed stainless steel reactor at 2.0 MPa for the purpose of efficient production of C₁₀–C₂₀ fraction as the main component of diesel fuel. The method of exchanging template ions in uncalcined MCM-41 with Co²⁺ ions is effective for holding 10–20% Co within the mesopores while keeping the structure regularity of MCM-41 to some extent, compared with the conventional impregnation method using calcined MCM-41. At 523 K, CO conversion and selectivity to C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons are both higher at larger loading of 20% Co for the exchanged catalysts with pore diameters of 2.7–2.9 nm. When four kinds of 20% Co/SBA-15 with the diameters of 3.5–13 nm, prepared by the impregnation method using an ethanol solution of Co acetate, are used in FT synthesis at 523 K, the catalyst with the diameter of 8.3 nm shows the largest CO conversion, which is higher than those over MCM-41 supported Co catalysts. At a lower temperature of 503 K, however, the acetate-derived Co is almost inactive. In contrast, the use of Co nitrate alone or an equimolar mixture of the acetate and nitrate as Co precursor drastically enhances the reaction rate and consequently provides high space–time yield (260–270 g C/kg_cat h) of C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons. The X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction measurements show that the dependency of the catalytic performance of 20% Co/SBA-15 on its precursor originates probably from the differences in not only the reducibility of the calcined catalyst but also the dispersion of metallic Co. Catalyst characterization after FT synthesis strongly suggests the high stability of the most effective Co/SBA-15 in the dispersion and reducibility of the oxide species and in the mesoporous structure.     

组装法制备巯基改性磁性SBA-15

采用热分解法制备了单分散、平均粒径约15nm的锰铁氧体磁性纳米粒子。通过正硅酸乙酯与磁性纳米粒子表面油酸盐的配体交换将磁性纳米粒子锚定在SBA-15表面。并且将负载过程与巯基改性过程耦合制备了巯基改性的磁性SBA-15。考察了合成SBA-15过程中干燥方式对其结构和性质的影响,研究了负载磁性纳米粒子和巯基改性顺序对巯基改性磁性SBA-15的结构和性能的影响。结果表明,喷雾干燥法合成的SBA-15介孔孔壁较薄,但具有更大的比表面积、孔体积和平均孔径。以其为载体时磁性纳米粒子负载量更大,所得磁性SBA-15的饱和磁强度更高。当将巯基改性和负载磁性纳米粒子分为前后两步时,巯基改性SBA-15的表面疏水环境有利于吸附疏水磁性纳米粒子,所得磁性SBA-15负载磁性纳米粒子量更大,饱和磁强度更高。磁性纳米粒子粒径大于SBA-15孔径,其主要负载于SBA-15外表面,有利于得到介孔孔道通畅的磁性SBA-15。巯基改性的磁性SBA-15的孔体积介于0.56~0.6cm³/g,比表面积介于353~432m²/g,饱和磁强度最高达到0.91emu/g,可作为一种大容量的吸附材料用于吸附分离、药物缓释等领域。     

Synthesis of polyaniline/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites and their application for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sorption

Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMC), were synthesized by nanocasting using ordered mesoporous silica as hard templates. Ordered mesoporous carbons CMK-1 and CMK-3 were prepared from MCM-48 and SBA-15 materials with pore diameters of 3.4 nm and 4.2 nm, respectively. Mesoporous carbons can be effectively modified for CO₂ adsorption with amine functional groups due to their high affinity for CO₂. Polyaniline (PANI)/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites were synthesized from in-situ polymerization by dissolving OMC in aniline monomer. The polymerization of aniline molecules inside the mesochannels of mesoporous carbons has been performed by ammonium persulfate. The nanocomposition, morphology, and structure of the nanocomposite were investigated by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT–IR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). CO₂ uptake capacity of the mesoporous carbon materials was obtained by a gravimetric adsorption apparatus for the pressure range from 1 to 5 bar and in the temperature range of 298 to 348 K. CMK-3/PANI exhibited higher CO₂ capture capacity than CMK-1/PANI owing to its larger pore size that accommodates more amine groups inside the pore structure, and the mesoporosity also can facilitate dispersion of PANI molecules inside the pore channels. Moreover, the mechanism of CO₂ adsorption involving amine groups is investigated. The results show that at elevated temperature, PANI/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites have a negligible CO₂ adsorption capacity due to weak chemical interactions with the carbon nanocomposite surface.     

Adsorption of vitamin B12 on ordered mesoporous carbons coated with PMMA

Ordered mesoporous carbons CMK-3 and CMK-1 were prepared from SBA-15 and MCM-48 materials with pore diameters 3.9 nm and 2.7 nm, respectively. When both mesoporous carbons were coated with about 10 wt.% poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), the pore diameters decreased from 3.9 nm to 3.4 nm for CMK-3 and from 2.7 nm to 2.5 nm for CMK-1. These mesoporous carbons containing about 10 wt.% PMMA were studied as adsorbents of Vitamin B 12 (VB12) from water solutions, and their performances were compared with that of pristine CMK-3, CMK-1. Compared with CMK-1, CMK-3 showed higher vitamin B12 adsorption due to a larger mesopore volume, a higher BET surface and a larger pore diameter. After coated with PMMA, both mesoporous carbons showed higher adsorption capacity than pristine materials. The adsorption properties were influenced by the pore structure and surface properties of mesoporous carbons.     

Trypsin immobilization on mesoporous silica with or without thiol functionalization

The effects of pore size, structure, and surface functionalization of mesoporous silica on the catalytic activity of the supported enzyme, trypsin, were investigated. For this purpose, SBA-15 with 1-dimensional pore arrangement and cubic Ia3d mesoporous silica with 3-dimensional pores were prepared and tested as a support. Materials with varying pore diameters in the range 5–10 nm were synthesized using a non-ionic block copolymer by controlling the synthesis temperature. Thiol-group was introduced to the porous materials via siloxypropane tethering either by post synthesis grafting or by direct synthesis. These materials were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, N₂ adsorption, and elemental analysis. Trypsin-supported on the solids prepared was active and stable for hydrolysis of N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-4-nitroanilide (BAPNA). Without applying thiol-functionalization, cubic Ia3d mesoporous silica with ca. 5.4 nm average pore diameter was found to be superior to SBA-15 for trypsin immobilization and showed a better catalytic performance. However, enzyme immobilized on the 5% thiol-functionalized SBA-15 prepared by directly synthesis was found to be the most promising and was also found recyclable.     

Structure and Photoluminescent Properties of ZnO Encapsulated in Mesoporous Silica SBA-15 Fabricated by Two-Solvent Strategy

The two-solvent method was employed to prepare ZnO encapsulated in mesoporous silica (ZnO/SBA-15). The prepared ZnO/SBA-15 samples have been studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The ZnO/SBA-15 nanocomposite has the ordered hexagonal mesostructure of SBA-15. ZnO clusters of a high loading are distributed in the channels of SBA-15. Photoluminescence spectra show the UV emission band around 368 nm, the violet emission around 420 nm, and the blue emission around 457 nm. The UV emission is attributed to band-edge emission of ZnO. The violet emission results from the oxygen vacancies on the ZnO–SiO₂ interface traps. The blue emission is from the oxygen vacancies or interstitial zinc ions of ZnO. The UV emission and blue emission show a blue-shift phenomenon due to quantum-confinement-induced energy gap enhancement of ZnO clusters. The ZnO clusters encapsulated in SBA-15 can be used as light-emitting diodes and ultraviolet nanolasers.     

Preparation of carbon nanofibers/carbon foam monolithic composite from coal liquefaction residue

Carbon nanofibers/carbon foam composites that are made by growing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on the surface of a carbon foam (CF) have been prepared from coal liquefaction residues (CLR) by a procedure involving supercritical foaming, oxidization, carbonization, and catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD) treatment. These new carbon/carbon composites were examined using SEM, TEM and XRD. The results show that the as-made CF has a structure with cell sizes of 300-600 μm. X-ray diffraction studies show that iron-containing contaminates are present in the CLR. However, these species may act as a catalyst in the CCVD process as established in the literature. After the CCVD treatment, the cell walls of CF are covered by highly compacted CNFs that have external diameters of about 100 nm and lengths of several tens of micrometers. This work may open a new way for direct and effective utilization of the CLR.     

Efficiency of C60 incorporation in and release from single-wall carbon nanotubes depending on their diameters

We show that the efficiency of incorporating C₆₀ in single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and that of the incorporated C₆₀’s release from the SWCNTs depend on the SWCNT diameter. Through transmission electron microscopy, we found that the C₆₀ incorporation efficiency reached its maximum at diameters of 1-2 nm, while the efficiency of C₆₀ release from SWCNTs in toluene was maximized at 3-5 nm. The difficulty of C₆₀ release from SWCNTs with diameters of 5-6 nm might reflect either the effective packing of C₆₀ inside SWCNTs or a flattened SWCNT structure. We occasionally observed C₆₀ molecules arranged in a line along the sidewall inside SWCNTs with large diameters/width (>7 nm), indicating that large diameter SWCNTs were sometimes flattened.     

Trypsin immobilization on mesoporous silica with or without thiol functionalization

The effects of pore size, structure, and surface functionalization of mesoporous silica on the catalytic activity of the supported enzyme, trypsin, were investigated. For this purpose, SBA-15 with 1-dimensional pore arrangement and cubic Ia3d mesoporous silica with 3-dimensional pores were prepared and tested as a support. Materials with varying pore diameters in the range 5–10 nm were synthesized using a non-ionic block copolymer by controlling the synthesis temperature. Thiol-group was introduced to the porous materials via siloxypropane tethering either by post synthesis grafting or by direct synthesis. These materials were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, N₂ adsorption, and elemental analysis. Trypsin-supported on the solids prepared was active and stable for hydrolysis of N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-4-nitroanilide (BAPNA). Without applying thiol-functionalization, cubic Ia3d mesoporous silica with ca. 5.4 nm average pore diameter was found to be superior to SBA-15 for trypsin immobilization and showed a better catalytic performance. However, enzyme immobilized on the 5% thiol-functionalized SBA-15 prepared by directly synthesis was found to be the most promising and was also found recyclable.